The Dark New Order
by WildKnght7
Summary: AU to replace ROTS, sequel to Republic Twilight. Anakin struggles to balance his affair with Padmé and his role as a Jedi, while ObiWan must help defend the Order from a Republic, lead by Palpatine, that has turned against its protectors. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Dedicated to: Bethany, one of the best kinds of friends for which a person could ever ask. Of course, I can't forget Geffen, who helped in her own way with certain parts and Amy - who got me into SW in the first place and decided one night that AOTC, and what would later be ROTS, should be rewritten and we stayed up till nearly three AM thinking out the first half of Republic Twilight. As always, the rest of the Star Wars fans out there who wanted something more and the readers who got through RT. Enjoy!

Note: The following story is concordant with Expanded Universe books except for the following: _SW: EII: AOTC_, all Clone Wars books, _Tatooine Ghost_, _Survivor's Quest_, and the _Dark Nest Trilogy_. Also, I own squat of anything having to do with LucasFilm, LucasBooks, Skywalker Ranch, 20th Century Fox, Del Rey, Bantam Books and...well, you get the idea.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

STAR WARS

EPISODE III:

THE DARK NEW ORDER

Five months now, the Republic has been locked in war once more. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine remains in power, despite the fact that his terms have come to a close. A Grand Army of the Republic is now on the front lines against the Separatists. With his new powers, Palpatine sends troops into battle ruthlessly, under the promise to win back the worlds taken by the Separatists.

Meanwhile, the great protectors of peace and justice, the Jedi Knights, are facing their own battles. Increasingly under the shroud of the Dark Side, they struggle to find the Sith Lord who still remains at large. At the same time, they have to defend themselves from propaganda attacks – several Jedi have mysteriously disappeared, along with their families.

Despite grievances from Obi-Wan, the Jedi Council has kept Anakin Skywalker away from Coruscant – and away from Padmé. Forced to hide, the Council is afraid of loosing their greatest hope, young Skywalker grows more and more impatient at what he sees as banishment…

* * *

Final Hour

1

A single cruiser made its way down to the surface of the lush planet, flying over the capitol city of Theed. Watching the cruiser land at the spaceport, Anakin Skywalker stood on the balcony to his living quarters.

Naboo.

How ironic.

Anakin sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and wishing that he were back in his Jedi robes. Civilian clothes felt so uncomfortable after years of wearing the Jedi gear.

Shortly after the battle for Kashyyyk, something that Anakin tried not to think about, the Jedi Council wasted no time. A few days shy of being home for a week, they whisked Anakin away from Coruscant, under the guise of giving him an assignment.

Anakin knew better.

They wanted him out of their way. This was punishment for loosing control at Kashyyyk. Compared to the rest of the problems facing the galaxy, he was insignificant – the child sent to timeout while the parent deals with a collapsing house.

Then reports spread across the holonets of families of Jedi disappearing, or being murdered, especially those belonging to Jedi that were known to have fought at Kashyyyk. That was when the Council decided that it would be best for him to go into hiding. They conveniently found an underground assignment for him: overseeing the smooth transition of power on Naboo.

As of yet, Anakin had done nothing significant on Naboo. By the time he arrived, the battle was over. Naboo was back in Republic control. His duty was to alert the Council, thus the Republic, if the Separatist rebels attempted to retake the planet. Anakin saw no need for this. When the deadly and trained soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic, fresh from Carida, swarmed the planet the Separatist revolt quickly surrendered. After all, they had been simple citizens who happened to buy into the wrong propaganda.

Anakin sighed again. Off in the distance, he could make out the very place where thirteen years ago he stood as a fresh Padawan during the victory celebration after the first battle for Naboo. Thinking hard enough, he could remember what Padmé had been wearing. Now she seemed even more beautiful to him in his memory.

It wasn't right that he was here and she wasn't.

"Sir?"

Anakin turned around to see one of the white-armored troops of the Republic standing behind him. The Jedi insisted on sending him protection, which he found insulting.

"Yes?" Anakin responded flatly.

"Your presence has been requested."

That told Anakin nothing. It could mean nearly a million things – the Council wanted to talk to him; Palpatine wanted to reach him but why he would, Anakin had no idea; the governing board of Naboo wanted to talk to him…

The soldier turned, expecting Anakin to follow him. Since he was in hiding, the soldiers received all communications first then passed them along if they were deemed non-threatening. Anakin thought that all the security made it obvious who he was, or at least that he was someone important.

In one of the small anterooms of his temporary apartment, two more Republic soldiers sat surrounded by electronic equipment. Both of them had their helmets off, giving them their human appearance back. Anakin hated the skull-like helmets; they dehumanized the soldiers and made them hard to read despite the fact that Anakin could feel every one of their emotions through the Force.

"Here, sir." One of the soldiers sitting at the table picked up something and got up to hand it to him. He dropped a small holoemitter in his hand.

Anakin stared at it then at the soldier. "What…?"

"Don't worry sir. We've taken care of it for you – it's a private message. You can go where you like to receive it. She's waiting for you."

Confused, Anakin nodded. He looked at the holoemitter with excitement, the usage of the word "she" by the trooper not lost on him. In the sitting room he sat down and, hands shaking slightly, turned on the little device.

"Anakin?" a minute Padmé asked.

"I'm here," Anakin said softly, a million emotions running through him. Instinctively he reached out to touch her, but realized she was just a hologram. But it was better than nothing. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too. Anakin –" Padmé paused, putting her arms across her stomach. Watching her, Anakin realized that something about her looked different.

"What is it?" he pressed, eager to hear the simple sound of her voice, no matter what words she spoke.

"I – I'm thinking about coming back to Naboo," she faltered.

"That's great! I can't wait to see you!" He leaned forward earnestly; a large smile on his face, almost telling her he was on Naboo. He thought better of it, surprising her if she returned would be much better. However, Padmé only half-smiled. "Wait. What's wrong?"

"Anakin…I should have waited till you got back to Coruscant to talk to you about this…but I don't know when you're going to be back, and I had to pull some strings to be able to get hold of you…I just had to…"

She looked at him, thinking over how to put the thoughts in her mind into words.

"If I go back, I'll still be Queen. I'll have duties I have to do. I don't know how much we'd be able to see each other. You're still in hiding, I don't even know where you are, and…" Padmé stopped. She moved her arms again, and Anakin struggled to make out what was different about her.

For a second, Anakin started to feel angry. How could she be thinking about duty now? They had been apart for five months; the thought of seeing her again was what kept him from going insane out here. He made himself remain calm.

"We won't worry about it for now. I'm sure we can work out something. I miss you so much," he said. Unable to formulate anything else to say, he said, "You look different."

Padmé smiled. "You do too. Your hair…"

In response, Anakin shook his head. After having become a Knight, his Padawan braid had been cut and he was letting the rest of his hair grow out. Longer than it had been years ago when he first left Tatooine, he was surprised to find that his hair was slightly wavy. Still, it was nothing like Padmé's curls.

"Well, you know…haircuts are hard to find out here…" he teased. She let out a small laugh. "Anyways…I can't wait to see you again. We will, I promise."

"Okay," she replied softly. "I should go."

Anakin did not say anything.

"I love you," she offered, hoping it would make him feel better about her having to go. She didn't want to leave either.

To her relief, he smiled slightly and muttered back, "I love you too."

With that, her image disappeared. The holoemitter rested lifeless on the table in front of him. Anakin leaned forward and put his head in his hands. The second she left, he felt alone again. He sat there for a few minutes, feeling almost on the verge of tears and not knowing why. Finally he stood up. It was dinner time.

In the kitchen he fixed himself some tartapi soup, just like how his mother used to make back on Tatooine all those years ago. Away from the Temple, Anakin allowed himself simple pleasures such as these since the Jedi no longer watched his every move from over his shoulder. The troopers on the other side of the apartment paid him no mind, absorbed in their dejarik game.

As he ate, thinking of his memories on Tatooine, he felt a wave of sadness. The death of his mother still plagued him, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut to stop the images of how she must have died from going through his mind.

Now he was separated again from someone he loved. All because of the Jedi.

If they really wanted him to be safe, they would let Padmé come here so that he would not go insane. Leaning forward, he put his head down on his arm.

_I should not be angry at the Jedi. They've given me so much, especially Obi-Wan. Without them, I'd still be a slave on Tatooine…_Anakin swallowed heavily at this thought. _And yet I still killed some of them…_

Anakin dropped his spoon into his bowl of soup. He gritted his teeth; his eyes squeezed shut as tightly as possible. The memory played over again in his mind…

"_Jedi Pilot, this is Green Two, why haven't you responded? Are your communications systems out?" _

_Anakin ignored him, pushing the proton torpedoes under his control towards the Jedi. _

"_Help me! I have torpedoes coming for me –"_

_Anakin inhaled with satisfaction as he felt the torpedoes collide with the ship._

_The Jedi let out a strangled scream, his craft exploding._

Anakin had not even known that Jedi, and yet he blew him to bits without mercy. Inside of him, anger had taken over and he had not been able to tell the good from the bad. Yoda always lectured to him that light and dark were distinguishable when he was at peace, and Anakin knew he had not been at peace at that time. He had acted on his emotions, dragging himself straight into the dark side.

And so far, no one knew about it but the Jedi he killed, Padmé, and himself.

It was going to stay that way.

Based on their actions, Anakin knew that if the Jedi Masters found out about what he did, coupled with his relationship with Padmé, there was no question that he would be expelled. No matter what, Anakin could not let that happen. As a Jedi, he had a mission – he was the Chosen One. During Kashyyyk, he learned what he had to teach to the rest of the Jedi, he learned what it meant to balance the Force.

So far the Masters only suspected something about what he did, and as long as they only _suspected_, he would remain a Jedi of the Republic. Anakin was ready to do whatever he had to in order to protect his secret so that he could teach the Jedi the truth about the Force.

On the other side of the apartment, Anakin heard the troopers hollering about something regarding the dejarik game. He shook his head at them, sat up and tried to eat some more, this time not thinking about his mother.

Suddenly, though something flashed to him through the Force.

Anakin stood up so fast that he knocked his chair over and looked to his left, lightsaber ignited and pointing in the direction of his gaze at the doorway. The blue blade hummed and cast an eerie light in the room. Something alerted him to great danger, but he could sense nothing close. Just then, pain and fear jolted through him.

Death.

Feeling almost sick, Anakin reeled on his feet. He put his arm out to steady himself, but another wave of pain and fear washed over him. This time it was stronger, and followed by a third shock. Anakin's knees gave out, the pain becoming physical, and he fell over. The lightsaber dropped to the floor, turning off as soon as it left his hand. The last thing he remembered was the side of his face hitting the sharp edge of the glass table.

* * *

Obi-Wan watched the newest refugee transport land. This one came in from Kuat, still reeling from the assault five months ago. While the Separatists had managed to destroy the shipyards, taking the system back became the top prerogative for the Republic. Instead, they had managed to turn the system into one continuous battleground as each side fought to regain control.

The ship landed, and Obi-Wan took a deep breath. It was time to start working. A couple hours, and so many refugees later that they all started to look the same, one of the refugees talking to a Republic soldier called out to him.

"Obi-Wan?" the man exclaimed upon seeing him. He turned away from the white-armored trooper before him. "Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan said nothing, watching as the man and the woman with him stepped over to him. Something about him looked vaguely familiar. He squinted to get a better look at him.

"It's me. Owen – your brother."

Obi-Wan stared at the man.

"What…? How…?" Obi-Wan stuttered. He took a closer look at the man. Sure enough, something about his appearance reminded Obi-Wan of himself. He could not say exactly what it was, but there was something of a family resemblance between them. Owen had darker hair, stood at about the same height as Obi-Wan but was a little stockier. Obi-Wan reached out through the Force. He knew this man was telling the truth.

"I have to talk to you, Obi-Wan," Owen said, a sad look coming over his face. The woman, Owen's wife Obi-Wan assumed, glanced around nervously.

"Don't use that name. Call me Ben," Obi-Wan advised, giving a side glance to his surroundings. Owen nodded. He continued, "Just a second."

Without another word, Obi-Wan walked over to the trooper Owen had been talking with. He spoke a few words, and the trooper nodded, saying, "Alright sir. We've got it covered."

Obi-Wan nodded and looked back to Owen. He motioned to the distance with a shake of his head and began to walk away. Owen understood and followed him. Inside a closed speeder, Owen sat down next to Obi-Wan in the passenger seat and gave his brother a curious look.

"I have to be careful. People know me from the Kashyyyk disaster," Obi-Wan explained. He glanced down at the memory of the loss of the system.

"I understand." Owen swallowed, and an awkward moment passed between the two men.

Obi-Wan didn't know what to say, this was a brother he didn't know. He only had vague memories of him. Owen didn't know how to explain what brought him here to Coruscant.

"I actually was hoping to find you here," Owen started again. "The reason I had to come here –" His voice choked up.

Obi-Wan looked at him, reaching through the Force.

"Because you're the family of a Jedi," he finished for him.

Owen nodded hastily.

"You and are the only ones left, Obi – I mean, Ben."

The statement hung heavily in the air.

"We were out running errands," Owen's wife, Beru, began for him, "and when we came back we found the house destroyed. They even killed my parents-in-law – your mother and father."

Owen leaned forward, feeling sick. Obi-Wan did the same as his brother, only he put his hand over his mouth, thinking hard. Due to the fact that he was a Jedi, he had not known his family. The Jedi were his family. But somehow, knowing that the people who raised him in the earliest part of his life were dead…it hit Obi-Wan harder than he thought it would.

At that moment, intense pain hit Obi-Wan through the Force. He could feel the fear, followed by the flash of intensity that marked death.

"Oh blazes," he exclaimed, as another jolt, and then a third hit him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the sensations coming to him through the Force. Owen scooted away from him, unsure of how to react. Beru stared at him, wide-eyed.

After a moment, Obi-Wan opened his eyes and started up the speeder. Matter-of-factly, he muttered, "We have to get back to the Temple."

Owen said nothing in response, sharing a glance with his wife. He knew he had no other choice but to ride along with Obi-Wan back to the Temple. In the back of his mind, he was irritated that Obi-Wan had reacted to whatever that was more than he had to the news of his family's death.

It was his _family_.

In fact, if Owen looked at it from a certain angle, he could even blame Obi-Wan for the murders. They had been killed because of Obi-Wan: if he were not a Jedi, they would all be alive.

Without another word, Obi-Wan powered up the speeder and sped off.

Back at the Temple, after having arranged Owen and Beru with a meal in the kitchens, Obi-Wan stood with Mace Windu and Yoda, only to learn more troubling news:

Several Jedi masters had just been slain.

"Killed, they were. All of them," Yoda said sadly. He shook his small head and looked down at the ground. "Even more troubling, killed by the Force they were."

"What?" Obi-Wan exclaimed. He gaped at the small green Master.

"It's true. The Separatists sent us holograms of them…we received them just minutes ago. Not only were they attacked by someone who knows how to use a lightsaber, but they all suffered from burns."

"A wielder of the dark side, their attacker is."

Yoda had no need to elaborate. It was popular legend that the typical weapon of choice for a Sith was blue lightening – harnessing the raw power of the Force itself.

"It's incredibly brave for this Sith Lord to attack Jedi like that," Obi-Wan commented. "It hasn't happened since…the Sith wars."

Mace nodded in agreement. "Yes, but it's the perfect opportunity. The dark Side is clouding everything. Killing four Jedi at a time like this will make him favorable with the people of the galaxy – Separatist and Republic alike. Have you heard anything from Anakin Skywalker?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I have other news though. My brother is here. Apparently, our entire family was killed."

Yoda let out a grave sigh. "Too much this is. Torn in too many directions are we. Bad timing for the leader of the Republic to leave us." He put his hand on the side of his face, his eyes closed. For the first time that Obi-Wan had seen, he was truly worried.

"I think it would be a good idea for me to find a place where my brother can go into hiding," Obi-Wan said, breaking the silence.

"Yes. Help your brother you should," Yoda agreed. "No need is there to call the Council into session over this."

Suddenly, Yoda turned and left. Mace and Obi-Wan stared at each other.

"I've never seen him so worried," Mace said.

"Neither have I," Obi-Wan replied. He sighed.

It was deeply troubling to see Master Yoda so upset. They both knew that only truly desperate times could bring Yoda to this point. Deep in his heart, Obi-Wan had the feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better. He sighed again, and left to find his brother.

To Be continued...

AN: Thank you for reading, and if you have something to say then feel free to leave a comment!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: To those that left reviews, thank you very much. Heppan: I'm glad you like it and hope you continue to enjoy. Disco Shop Girl: Thank you, I like to start things off so the story begins moving right away. Porcelainangel: Thanks for your comment. I don't like it when characters start doing things they never would (unless it's a humor fic, or is otherwise necessary for the genre) so I do my best to keep my characters true - and thus keeping my stories true to SW. I hope you all enjoy chapter two!

* * *

2

The world came into a blurry view as Anakin opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the stinging pain on the right side of his face. He tried to sit up.

"Easy there, sir," one of the troopers said, putting his hand on Anakin's shoulder to keep him from sitting up. "You've had a nasty fall."

As soon as he moved, shooting pain ripped through Anakin's head. At the soldiers's touch he decided that laying down was better and made no more attempts to get up.

"What happened?" he croaked. He closed his eyes and tried to sooth the headache threatening to break his skull in half.

"We don't know sir. We were hoping you could tell us. We heard a crash come from where you were, and found you collapsed on the ground."

Anakin cracked one eye open and looked at the trooper. He swallowed, but did not know what to say. "I felt something through…" he muttered, trailing off.

The trooper looked to another soldier standing behind him then turned back to Anakin. "Should we alert…the Temple?"

That caught Anakin's attention. He sat up despite the pain in his head. The troopers were not supposed to know he was a Jedi. That way if they were captured they could not give him away.

"How do you know I'm a Jedi?" he asked with urgency.

"You dropped this, sir." The soldier held out Anakin's lightsaber.

Even people like him, from the farthest reaches of the galaxy, knew what a lightsaber looked like. And they knew that a lightsaber meant a Jedi.

Anakin took it from the trooper's outstretched hand. He set it on the table beside the couch. There was no need to hide it anymore. Putting a hand to his forehead, he leaned back again and closed his eyes. With the movement he realized what made his head hurt so badly. He didn't need to see it to know that a nasty gash ran along the side of his face. Gingerly he touched it.

"We tried to patch you up as best we could, sir. You were lucky – almost took out your eye."

In response, Anakin nodded.

"Can we get you anything else, sir?"

For a second Anakin thought the question over. After a bit he responded, "Some water, please. Some water would be nice."

"Right away sir."

The trooper motioned to the one standing behind him and the man left the room. In a few minutes he came back, and a cup of fresh water rested in Anakin's hands. Greedily, he swallowed a few mouthfuls.

"Thanks," he said between gulps.

The trooper nodded.

"If you're all set, sir, we're going to go back to our post."

Anakin nodded. "That's fine. I'll be alright."

"Yes, sir." He stood up, and for a second looked as if he might salute Anakin but decided against it. With a sharp turn and click of his heel he left the room, followed by the other soldier.

Anakin took another couple drinks of the water then set the cup next to his lightsaber. The hydration made his head feel a little better, but it still throbbed. Closing his eyes, Anakin nestled down into the couch to meditate. He tried not to think about the nasty bruise that his face must be transforming into after hitting the table.

The flow of the Force came naturally to Anakin. He relaxed, letting it take over him. Fearing another vision akin to the one he had the last time he went into meditation, he did not let himself sink too deep. Five months for a Jedi not to meditate was a very long time, but Anakin did not want to encounter another sight of the Temple burning.

He knew these visions came to him if he drifted too close to unconsciousness. For the past five months he had not slept well for a single night. Usually sleep, bringing dreams, was his escape from reality. Now that escape turned on him, becoming such a hell that Anakin welcomed reality. During the night he awakened often from nightmares, and after about two months he gave up trying to sleep altogether – opting for hibernation and healing trances when his body grew too worn out.

One thing he needed most, Anakin knew, was to be back at the Temple. There he could talk with the Masters, getting some much needed guidance.

But no.

They were determined to keep him out here and far away from them all. Not seeing Padmé was also an added bonus of keeping him off Coruscant. She was the one thing he really needed now – just as much, if not more so, than returning to the Temple.

Putting his arm over his head, so that his hand rested on the top of his head, Anakin faded into the Force as much as he would let himself. At the same time, he recalled his last memories of Padmé: their surprise conversation, their last night together, the first hug she gave him, their first kiss…

All of these memories, and others, were what he lived off for the past few months.

Anakin lost track of time as he let the Force, albeit with limits, flow through him. Suddenly he was interrupted again by one of the troopers.

"Sir, we have another transmission for you." The soldier came into the room, and Anakin sat up.

"Who's it from?" he asked, confused. Rarely did someone want to speak to him twice in a day.

"We have another transmission from you," the trooper repeated. His voice sounded flat. It made Anakin stop.

He reached out through the Force, and could feel the presence of someone else bending the will of this trooper. Pushing a little, Anakin tried to break it, but the person controlling the man was too strong. Cautiously, Anakin got off the couch. He was sure to deftly tuck his lightsaber back into his tunic just in case.

Anakin entered the small room housing all the communications equipment. The other soldier sitting in it hardly gave Anakin a glance as he walked in. Monotonously, he handed Anakin the same holoemitter that produced Padmé's image a few hours ago. Anakin took it gingerly. The trooper who summoned him sat down next to the other one. Neither of them said a word.

Senses tingling, he could feel something increasingly dark gathering in the room, Anakin turned on the holoemitter.

"Hello, young Skywalker," a cloaked figured breathed.

Anakin almost dropped the holoemitter from shock.

"Why so nervous? I am only a hologram."

Anakin said nothing. The feeling of the dark increased and he struggled to keep his fear under control.

"Granted, if I wanted to, I could kill you. But that's not in my interest today. I have slain enough Jedi for the time being."

As he watched the small figure, Anakin's jaw set. "You killed those Jedi."

"That I did. I have no reason to hide it. Did it come as a surprise?"

A well of anger rose in Anakin. There were a million things he wanted to say to this Sith Lord, he _knew_ that was who stood before him, but he forced himself to maintain his control.

"Careful, young Skywalker. I can feel your anger. The Jedi Masters would not be happy if they knew you were so prone to it. Master Yoda is quite right…you also harbor quite a lot of fear…"

"I have no fear of the Sith," Anakin said through gritted teeth.

"How nobly brave of you. The Jedi must be grateful to have you on your side. Yet it does not appear that way…they have shunted you off to the side, out of their way."

Anakin simply stared at the hologram. Something about the person seemed familiar, but he could not place it.

"This is not something they should do with their golden boy, their Chosen One." The Sith Lord paused. "Do you know that there is another side to that prophecy, Skywalker?"

Anakin shook his head slightly.

"Yes…the Jedi and the Sith are not so different. True, there is a prophecy that speaks of one who will balance the Force. But the Jedi…seem to have forgotten that this prophecy was made before there was…a distinction between Jedi and Sith."

That got Anakin's attention. He stared at the figure, his jaw dropping slightly. Realizing it, and feeling stupid, he clamped it back shut. He did not want this Sith Lord to think anything could take him by surprise. That showed weakness.

"You will fulfill the prophecy, young Skywalker. You _are _the Chosen One."

With that, the hologram cut out. The transmission was over. Anakin stared at the spot where the Sith Lord had been. There was only one clear meaning to his message: the prophecy about the Force being balanced pertained to _both _Jedi and the Sith. The only difference between the Jedi and the Sith was that they believed the Force would be balanced in their favor.

Anakin leaned forward and mulled this thought over. Why would this Sith Lord contact him, forget how he knew where Anakin was, and deliver this message?

The answer hit Anakin so hard he began to shake.

The Sith Lord believed that he would balance the Force – for the Sith.

That was impossible. Anakin was a Jedi, not a Sith. After all, he just discovered the truth of the Force – it was not necessarily which 'side' of the Force that he used, but to what ends he intended. When he used the Force, it was for the greater good and not his own personal gain. He used the Force He did his duty out of compassion, unconditional love.

Except recently…

Memories of his brush with the dark came back to him. They brought with them an ugly truth: he knew that keeping that dark intent away was something he would have to fight all his life. Acting out of anger and hatred brought him even more power; a power that was matched only by what he felt when he was with Padmé.

More confused than ever, Anakin wished he could hold Padmé. With her in his arms, everything was so much clearer. So much of the Force was rooted in good, of which love was a part. His love for her, amplified when he was with her, made him more at peace and thus able to see the difference between the light and the dark. Seeing this difference assured Anakin of the path he had to take.

Anakin sat there for a few more minutes then decided on what to do. He would contact the Temple. He no longer cared about security. If a Dark Lord of the Sith knew where he was, then anyone else could find him. In the shadow of a Sith Lord, anyone else seemed no more threatening than a sea sponges of Mon Calamari.

Getting off the couch, he made his way steadily into the room with all the communications equipment.

"Here," Anakin said to the nearest trooper. He held out a communications code to the man. "Patch this in as soon as you can, please."

The trooper looked at it dubiously for a second, knowing it was for the Jedi Temple. He glanced back up at Anakin. "Sir, are you so sure? Someone might be tracking this signal–"

Anakin cut him off. "There's no time to worry about that. I just got a threat from the greatest enemy of the Jedi. So I suggest you get that link established before he gets here or we're all dead."

As if to emphasize his message, Anakin gave him a stony look and crossed his arms defiantly. It was obvious to him what the Sith Lord wanted, to hunt down Anakin and the rest of the Jedi, and the Temple had to know. The thought did not occur to Anakin that the goals of Darth Sidious were a little more ambiguous: to get Anakin in the emotional state he was in – riled up.

"Right, sir," the trooper said hesitantly and turned to punch in the code. He waited for a few seconds then spoke to Anakin. "Alright sir. You're patched through."

Right on cue, a holocam floated up before Anakin, ready to record his message. Gathering himself, Anakin spoke, a little more than nervousness sounding in his voice.

"Master Yoda, Obi-Wa – Master Obi-Wan, are you there?"

No one replied. He tried again. "Master Yoda? Master Obi-Wan? Master Windu?"

Still silence. Anakin shifted on his feet, feeling very nervous now. All sorts of thoughts about what might have happened to them went through his head. After all, Sidious confessed to killing some Jedi, but he did not specify who they were. Not that Anakin believed Sidious noted any difference between one Jedi Master and another.

"I know you told me not to contact you," Anakin said, hoping the Masters would get the message soon, "but things have evolved into an emergency. I believe my presence out here is more in danger and that it would be better for me to come back to the Temple. Only today I received a message from the Sith Lord we have been looking for."

Anakin paused before continuing.

"Somehow, he managed to track my location to here. I don't know where he is, but he confessed to killing several Jedi recently. I felt the deaths through the Force – who were they? There are some other things going on that I do not want to discuss through these means. Again, I say that I think it would be safer for me to return to the Temple."

Anakin stopped; the last words almost a plea. Clutching his arms closer to him, he could not think of anything else to say.

With that, he nodded to the trooper seated in front of him. In understanding, he cut the transmission off.

"Anything else I can do for you sir?"

Anakin put his hand to his chin, thinking; a move he picked up from Obi-Wan after over ten years of training with the older Jedi. He turned from the room, deciding once and for all that he had to get out of these unusual civilian clothes. He would be much more comfortable in his Jedi robes.

* * *

Circling her room, a few days after having talked to Anakin, Padmé turned off her datapad. Looking out through the transparisteel, she tried to choke back a few tears. The lights of Coruscant flashed as far as she could see. Something about them made her remember the first time that she and Anakin met each other again after so many years.

It had been back that the Temple, he took her up to a high balcony…the lights glittered up there that night…so bright, full of hope…

Feeling that if she watched the skyline anymore she would break down she turned away. For four months now, she and Anakin had not seen each other. They had not been able to touch, embrace…it was the thing she missed most nowadays. It was the only thing that made her feel complete after the death, the assassination, of her family.

Something jolted in her stomach, and she looked down. For the past couple months, she had to wear larger and larger clothing. Searching the nearby shops, she managed to find some dresses up to her tastes. Granted, they were nothing like what she was used to back on Naboo, but they were better than the near-rags she wore at first on Coruscant.

Right now, she was donned in a particular dress that was excellent at hiding her figure. The skirt flared out in a large, sweeping bell away from her body. Only a trained eye would notice the increasing size of her stomach.

Or a Jedi, who could easily detect the life growing within her.

Which was why she tried to stay away from them as much as possible. If she went near the Jedi, they would immediately figure out who the father was – it was all too easy a puzzle to work out.

In a way that she could not explain, she could almost feel the life inside her. She had never been pregnant before of course, as she had never married, but she knew that pregnant women could feel their children move inside them. Somehow this was different though. She could feel the lifesource of the child. If she didn't know any better, Padmé would say that she was sensing something through the Force.

Which was absolutely absurd. She was no Jedi.

Rubbing her hands on the sides of her stomach, she turned from the window and glanced back at the datapad. A large story broke earlier that day: several prominent Jedi had been killed in an ambush on Duro. So far, the identity of the Jedi had not been released.

Padmé had the feeling that the Jedi had been murdered some time before then, for reasons she could not explain. While she tried to not to be in the presence of the Jedi, she could not deny that Obi-Wan kept in contact with her, and she had not heard from him for several days. They had a friendship of sorts, which was dangerous because of the feelings she and Anakin had for each other.

With another glance around the room, she made her choice. She was going to the Temple in search of Obi-Wan. At the moment she did not care if the Jedi found out about her and Anakin, she had to know that he was alive.

Outside her building, she hopped into the small speeder she acquired a couple months back. Wasting no time she flew over to the Temple. As she did so, flying with one hand on the controls (that was another benefit of being close to Anakin – he taught her flying skills she otherwise would never have known), she hailed Obi-Wan.

"Hello?" Obi-Wan answered, confused at this late hour.

"Obi-Wan? It's Padmé," she responded.

"What? Are you alright?"

"I'm on my way over. Meet me…" she paused for a second, thinking, "by the main groundlevel entrance." Here, groundlevel was a relative term since none of Coruscant rested on the actual surface of the planet anymore.

"What? Padmé, it's–" Obi-Wan understood where she meant, but was still unclear as to why.

She gave him no more time to respond. She shut the comlink off, and focused on her flying. Within a few minutes she arrived at the Temple and clumsily got out of the speeder. She walked up close to the grand entrance of the Temple and hid in the shadows, in case a random Jedi came home, all the while watching for Obi-Wan.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, he appeared. Suddenly nervous, she knew she could hide her secret no more, she walked out to greet him.

"My Lady, what is the matter?" he asked with genuine concern when he saw her, sensing her presence seconds before she came into view from behind one of the grand square pillars at the entrance.

Padmé took a deep breath before she spoke. Letting it out, she said, "I heard about the Jedi that just got killed. I have to know if Anakin is safe."

For a second, Obi-Wan regarded her. His mind tumbled with what to say to her. Just a few days ago, he had received a recorded transmission from Anakin from his station at Naboo. He tried to respond, but the messages were not going through. While Anakin's silence concerned him, Obi-Wan had no greater reason to believe that Anakin was dead.

As he looked her over, Obi-Wan caught a glimmer of something through the Force. There was another presence among them, strong in the Force. Confused, Obi-Wan reached out, trying to locate the strange vergence.

Suddenly the truth hit him. His jaw opened slightly in surprise at Padmé. She stood there, straight and stoic, the look in her eyes almost challenging him to say something.

"I – perhaps we should go somewhere else," he suggested instead. She nodded, looking relieved to be away from the Temple. He watched her walk away, and could see the remarkable change in her figure.

No wonder she tried to stay away from the Jedi as much as possible.

"We should go back to my apartment," she said as she started up the speeder. Seeing as he had no other choice, Obi-Wan went along.

Flying with her, while quite tamer, was akin to flying with Anakin. Obi-Wan assumed he should have known that in spending so much time with her, his former Padawan would have taught the Queen some of his skills. In what seemed to be no time at all they were back at her building and Padmé led him up to her floor.

Inside, she said nothing to Obi-Wan but sat down immediately. A flash of exhaustion showed across her face for a second then she turned to the Jedi standing in her living room.

"I'm so sorry…for rousing you in the middle of the night like this. I just couldn't sleep…and then the news all over the holonets…" Padmé glanced at Obi-Wan, worry in her expression. "Is Anakin alright? Please."

Obi-Wan shifted on his feet ever so slightly. Taking a second to gather his thoughts, he sat down next to her but at a respectable distance.

"He's alright, we believe," he said reassuringly.

Relief flooded Padmé and she took a deep breath. One of her hands went to her stomach, resting on it gently.

"Where is he?" she asked. Conversation between them was strained. She knew Obi-Wan knew about her child. He was a strong Jedi, and she was no fool to believe that he would not sense it. Neither of them mentioned it, however, it was the albino nerf in the room of which no one spoke.

Another question he was unsure of how to answer. Somehow she had the innate skill to do this. Obi-Wan shifted before answering, telling himself that this should not be so difficult for a Jedi Master.

"Could you at least tell me that; let me know where he is?" she pressed.

Obi-Wan sighed. The truth was they had not heard from him for a couple days.

"Honestly…we haven't heard anything from him lately," he said softly. At her crestfallen expression, he hastily added, "but I don't think he's dead. I know he's not. There's something more to your worry."

Padmé narrowed her eyes slightly at Obi-Wan. Usually he was quite subtle, for him to be so frank was odd.

"I'm just worried about him. He's my closest friend now. Is it so wrong for me to be concerned for him?"

Obi-Wan sighed. Perhaps it was time to tell her the truth, especially given her condition.

"I can see there's no fooling you, Padmé. You're just as strongwilled as I remember. The truth of the matter is that we haven't heard from Anakin for a few days. The same day the Jedi Masters were killed, we got a transmission from him.

"He told us that the greatest enemy of the Jedi, a Sith Lord, contacted him. We've been searching for this Sith Lord for over a decade now. That he contacted Anakin…is most disturbing."

At this news, Padmé recoiled from him, sinking into the couch. Her other hand clasped her stomach instinctively. She shook her head slightly as she digested Obi-Wan's words.

"So you don't know if he really is alive," she accused.

"He's alive."

She glanced down, her fingers nervously intertwined. A grimace of irritation went across her face.

"He's in danger…but he's alive. I can promise you that," Obi-Wan tried again, but realized that he choose the wrong words.

"He's only in danger because you placed him there. He didn't want to go out to – to wherever you stuck him! He knew he would have been better off here and you know it!" she protested, letting her anger out. "You don't even listen to him! He comes here all the time, upset because of something that's happened!"

"You know he can be rather dramatic at times," Obi-Wan countered calmly. But she would have none of it.

"No! It's not just him being dramatic! I would know! You don't ever see him – he's terribly confused about a lot of things and you just brush him off." She stood up. "Like when he got back from Tatooine, that was a lovely mess. And then, the whole ordeal of the battle of Kashyyyk."

"What?"

Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to be surprised.

She stopped for a minute. Clearly, Anakin had not mentioned this to Obi-Wan, which only made her more irritated. Here was the one person who could help him understand the Force, and his connection to it, and he was not seeking that help. Flustered at everything, she went on.

"You've driven him so far away he wouldn't even tell you about what happened during the battle! I don't know what happened, Gods know I have no sense of the Force, but something happened out there. He lost control or something – he ended up killing some Jedi."

These words came as another shock to Obi-Wan. Suddenly, everything he felt through the Force at the end of the battle made sense to him. The anger…the fear…Obi-Wan did not want to believe that Anakin could have lost control in such a way as to kill his fellow Jedi, but with a quick search of his feelings he knew it was true.

"Blast," he muttered.

Things were worse than he thought.

"I told him to go you, but he feels like he can't! He's so worried about all the expectations you've put on him," Padmé continued to rail. "He feels like he has to be perfect all the time around you! And now you're here, being just as stubborn as he always said you were! No wonder he came to me!"

Obi-Wan sat there, taking her verbal assault. In his heart, he knew there was truth to her words, as harsh as they were. Over time, Obi-Wan began to believe faithfully that Anakin was the Chosen One. The whole Temple knew Anakin had been brought there under this premise, and so he was consistently reminded of it. The older Masters were resistant to his training, the other trainees his age cast him out so that the only person close to a friend he had his own age was Barriss Offee.

He glanced up at her, noticing a tear rolling down her cheek. Perhaps there was something to be rectified out of this whole mess. Something, maybe left over from his own master Qui-Gon Jinn, made him take pity on her. Knowing full well that he could be expelled from the Order for helping her, and thus Anakin, he made his choice.

Standing up, he came over next to her.

"Padmé, we did what we thought was best. If this Sith Lord got hold of him out there, then he most certainly could have found him here at the Temple on Coruscant. If he goes after Anakin, that would lead him straight to the Temple. And that would lead him to _you._"

Obi-Wan knew his words hit home. She glared at him.

"They're Anakin's aren't they?" he said gently. He felt horrible for doing this, but he had to be sure. While Anakin would later face serious consequences for this, there were other more pressing matters that the Jedi Council had to deal with.

One of them being this Sith Lord that was intent on making himself known.

Padmé's glare intensified. "What do you mean 'them'?" she asked icily.

"You're carrying twins."

With those words, Padmé's anger dissipated, replaced by surprise.

"What…" she trailed off, her jaw open slightly.

"Yes, twins. I can already feel them through the Force brighter than any of the younglings we have at the Temple. Children that strong in the Force must be Anakin's."

Not sure of what to make of this news, as one child was going to be hard enough to raise, Padmé pressed her hands to her stomach.

Twins. Incredible.

"As I said, a Sith Lord contacted Anakin. That means quite a lot of danger for him, and now you," Obi-Wan said to fill the silence.

"How?" she asked humbly.

_Another one of those blasted difficult questions! _ Obi-Wan cursed to himself. Part of him wanted to be harsh, telling her she had no right to get herself so involved with a Jedi, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"Jedi aren't allowed to have attachment because it leads to fearing the loss of the attachment," Obi-Wan tried to explain as gently as he could. "This fear of loss leads to the dark side. If the Sith Lord were to get hold of you, or the children, he could use you against Anakin to try and turn him to the dark side."

"What?" she asked sharply, the fear showing in her voice as she realized the gravity of the situation. "Why would he want to do that to Anakin?"

"The Sith know of our prophecy…and it seems he knows we believe Anakin to be the Chosen one. Getting an apprentice, someone so strong in the Force like Anakin, would score such a victory for the Sith. It would cripple the Jedi."

As he said his words, Obi-Wan tried to shrug off the uneasy feeling they gave him. Next to him, Padmé glanced down at the floor, a feeling of resignation coming from her. Obi-Wan thought about placing his hand on her shoulder for reassurance, but thinking of Anakin, decided it would be too awkward.

"What am I going to do?" she asked Obi-Wan, honestly fearful.

Several responses, mainly about restraint and not falling in love with a Jedi, ran through Obi-Wan's head. He voiced none of them, though. Wishing his fullest that the Force was telling him the right thing, he took a deep breath before responding.

"First, we have to get you through this mess. Both of you."

Padmé nodded, not saying anything.

"I'm going to go back to the Temple. I'll come back tomorrow, I promise. There are some things I want to look up there – most of all we have to keep these children safe from the Sith Lord."

Obi-Wan turned from her and started to leave the room.

"Wait!" Padmé called out to him. "You…you won't tell any of the other Masters, will you?"

He whirled around to face her. Praying he was right in doing this, he said, "No. Not for the time being. The fewer that know about you…the better. But when this is all over…"

She nodded, understanding the meaning of his unsaid words. He could not promise anything after that. It made sense, the Jedi Council would find out regardless – especially if what Obi-Wan said about any children of Anakin's being strong in the Force. Catching her comprehension, Obi-Wan began to leave again, but turned back for a second time.

His hand on the control panel to open the door, he looked over his shoulder and said, "He's alive. I know it."

With that, he opened the door and left. Padmé remained in her spot in the middle of the main room, thinking over everything Obi-Wan told her.

_Twins_.

Absolutely remarkable.

She wondered how Anakin would react to the news of not just one child, but two. Part of him would be thrilled, his children would be born under the Republic and would have opportunities that he never had as a child. The other part of him…she knew the answer to that one, not liking it.

Anakin would be upset, knowing that this would ultimately get him expelled from the Jedi Order. Now it was only a matter of time.

_About four months, _Padmé thought bitterly to herself as she sat down. _I shouldn't have gone to Obi-Wan. I should just go back to Naboo, I can have the children there…and then when the time is right I can come back. Anakin never has to know they're his, and he can stay a Jedi. _

But Padmé knew that letting Anakin believe the children did not belong to him would be just as dangerous as him knowing the truth. The idea of her being with someone else would torment him, as she knew the idea of him being with another woman would torment her. Feeling trapped, blaming herself for the mess they were now in, Padmé leaned forward and began to cry softly.

_I'm so sorry, Anakin…I've ruined everything for you…

* * *

_

After spending the better part of an hour trying to return to sleep with no luck, Obi-Wan went to the archives. A small bit of Jedi lore nagged at him, and he thought it might help Padmé in her current situation.

As if he needed something else to worry about. Just the previous day he managed to get Owen and Beru off Coruscant and into hiding. In thanks, Owen told Obi-Wan that if he ever needed anything in the future, they would be happy to oblige. Obi-Wan thanked Owen for the favor, told him to not worry, and quickly made his way back to the Temple – hoping to hear news of Anakin.

Instead, he got a call from Padmé and found out that she and Anakin were having an affair, and to top it off she was pregnant.

The way things were going, Obi-Wan wondered how much more his sanity could take.

Making his way through the corridors of the Temple, Obi-Wan felt a slight twinge of guilt for keeping something like this from the Masters. Yet he knew that right now, with things as dangerous in the galaxy as they were, there was no time to deal with this matter as it should be.

Hopefully, things would settle down and the Masters would see reason when the time came. Obi-Wan did not let himself think about what might happen if Anakin were expelled from the Order.

At the archives, he pulled up a chair, bending close over the datascreen. While not quite sure of what it was he was looking for, he searched for quite some time, sifting through the oldest of Jedi legends. Finally, after what seemed ages but was merely a couple hours, he found something that might be useful. Settling back in his chair, he put his hand over his chin, thinking.

Yes, this just might be the key.

Shutting the search down, he got out of his chair and left for Padmé's.

* * *

At the knock on her door, Padmé dragged herself off her bed and went to answer it. For the briefest second, she hoped that Anakin would be behind the closed door, but then she realized that it was not his knock. Another rap sounded.

The door opened to reveal Obi-Wan, just as he promised. Padmé stalled for a second, not sure what to say to him. Unsure of what else to do she turned and walked to the small kitchen area, fetching the Jedi some water.

Obi-Wan took the offered water and sat down. He did not take a drink, but set it on the table instead. Padmé sat down next to him, neither of them sure what to say.

"I have an idea," Obi-Wan broke the silence. "Right now the most important thing is that we protect those children."

Padmé nodded in agreement. While she was not expecting this pregnancy, she knew full well that now that she carried these new lives her own centered on keeping them safe.

"I'm going to suggest to the Council that we move you to another location, to start with."

"No," Padmé said with finality.

"Excuse me?" Obi-Wan looked at her incredulously.

"I'm not moving. I don't care what happens. I have to stay here – I'm tired of running from everything." She stared at Obi-Wan defiantly.

"What about for the sake of your children?"

She glared at him, livid at him for using her children as a mild excuse. Realizing his error, and that making Padmé unduly angry at him would solve nothing, Obi-Wan backed off.

"Alright. I can see there's no arguing with you. I have to say, you must have made quite a leader for your people," he said with a kinder tone. She softened in her posture, smiling ever so slightly at him.

"I did not do enough, though."

In that one single admission, Obi-Wan could sense the weight of what happened to her still wore on her. Somehow, he realized how Anakin was able to turn to her. He had been through things that Obi-Wan could not comprehend, and Padmé offered him the compassion he needed. Feeling another twinge through the Force, simultaneously cursing the part of him that was akin to Qui-Gon, he knew what he had to do.

"Focus on now, Padmé. It does no good to dwell on the past – you must keep your attention here, with things so turbulent."

"And so you spout Jedi wisdom to me," she responded dryly.

_Blazes! It's a wonder Anakin can put up with her. Then again, he can be just as cynical at times…perhaps that's why they get along._

Mildly reproachful, he said, "You are just intent on making me feel guilty aren't you? I only want to help us all get through this. Including you _and_ Anakin."

At this statement, it was Padmé's turn to feel ashamed. She mumbled something that sounded like an apology to Obi-Wan.

"Now, I want to try something. Is it alright if I…" he trailed off, not quite sure how to put his request into words. "I'm going to have to touch you. Is that alright?"

Padmé nodded, and watched Obi-Wan with slight apprehension.

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Obi-Wan reached out and placed both his hands on Padmé's stomach. At the same time, he let the Force guide him to the new life inside her. In the back of his mind ran the thought of how embarrassing this would be if Anakin walked in. Forcing himself to ignore the image, he focused on the children.

There they were, shining brightly like a shimmering white light in the Force. They were still very small, incredibly delicate. Obi-Wan could feel the life pulsing through them, coming from their mother. Just then, something tingled back to him through the Force. It was one of the children; while completely unaware of his surrounding world, somehow he could sense Obi-Wan through the Force. It was not so much understanding of what Obi-Wan was, but more like the Force connected through both of them.

At this sensation, another tingle went through Obi-Wan, as the second child felt its sibling stir. For a minute, Obi-Wan remained in the connection between both children.

_Absolutely remarkable_. _I've never heard of anything like it. I only hope they live through this mess – surely both of them will make great Jedi,_ Obi-Wan thought to himself in awe.

Pulling back from the children slightly, Obi-Wan found something else that amazed him. Right now, the children and their mother's blood was one and the same. Due to the strength of the Force in their blood, part of their connection was going to Padmé. Obi-Wan wasn't quite sure about it, but he had the feeling that she just might be able to sense the Force on some basic and elementary level because of these children.

_Blast. This is just incredible. I wonder what Master Yoda would make of it_.

After a minute, he opened his eyes and looked at Padmé, taking his hands away from her. His mind was frozen, unable to think of anything to say to her.

"What is it? Is something wrong with them?" Padmé asked him anxiously, her hands going protectively over her stomach.

Obi-Wan looked at her. "Oh, they're quite fine. As far as human children go, and I am no healer, they're healthy. But the Force…" He trialed off, not knowing how to describe what he encountered with the children. "Have you noticed anything strange lately – like something that could be explained with the Force?"

Padmé's brow wrinkled as she contemplated his words. "Well…actually, I suppose."

Obi-Wan said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"Sometimes, I just get these feelings – like I can almost feel Anakin out there somewhere," smiling to herself, she looked down at the couch, "so I guess I just needed to hear someone else say he was alright. And other times, I just get little glimmers of things…I don't really know."

"Have you ever felt anything dark, anything, well, _wrong_? Has anything you know to be not right tried to reach you?"

"No. Never anything like that. Mostly, I just feel the child – I mean, children."

Finally, a good bit of news. At her words, Obi-Wan felt better, thinking that there was not so much to worry over. A hint of a smile showed on his face.

"That's good. We're going to keep it that way. See, I think you can sense the Force because of your children. And, with that, I want to try something."

Gently he reached out again, this time placing one hand on her stomach again and the other on the side of her head. He opened himself up to the Force, finding the children almost instantly. Once more, one of them responded back to him through the Force, the other child soon doing the same.

Obi-Wan let himself sink into a deeper connection with the children, tapping into their bond to the Force. As he did so, he sought out Padmé. Deep in concentration, he urged the Force to find Padmé through her children.

Watching Obi-Wan, Padmé grew a little concerned. His face was twisted up in the grimmest look of concentration, and she worried about him straining himself. However she forced herself to relax, knowing that Obi-Wan would not do something that would push himself too far. As she relaxed, she started to feel something unlike anything she ever felt. A greater world began to open up to her, and there…if she focused part of her mind in the right way, she could _feel_ one of her children.

It wasn't the physical presence of the child, but something more than that. Padmé knew it had to be the Force, somehow now flowing through her from the child. Through her mind, she reached out to it more, and felt it stir.

Knowing that she was now directly linked to the child through the Force, Obi-Wan could feel it react to its mother. Guiding Padmé, he showed her how to send the Force back to the child to calm it.

Suddenly, he couldn't sense anything.

Not the children and not Padmé.

Obi-Wan's eyes flew open as he gasped for breath. Before him, Padmé sat completely still, her eyes closed. After a second, she opened her eyes, looking at him.

"What's wrong?" she said, having felt him drop away from her.

He shook his head, unable to explain what happened. "Can you still feel it?"

Knowing he meant the Force, she nodded. Reaching out with the right part of her mind to the one child, she could sense it. To feel it, she almost had to not focus on it, but it was always there. She knew she would not be able to do many of the miraculous things that trained Jedi could but as long as she carried the children, though, she would have this connection. Picturing Anakin in her mind and tapping into the Force connection, she could almost feel him somewhere very far away.

Just to make sure, Obi-Wan sensed through the Force that it was still with her. To his surprise, he could not longer make a distinction between her and the children. By bringing the connection to her through the children, it joined them all in one link to the Force.

"Amazing," Obi-Wan breathed.

"What?" Padmé asked. Having no sense of the Force before, she did not quite understand the change in the other's perception of her through it.

"I can't tell any difference between you and the children anymore. To the Force, you are one and the same."

Padmé looked at him quizzically; obviously not quit understanding what he was talking about.

"See, each person leaves a distinctive feel in the Force. Before, I could feel you and both of the children. Now that you're sharing their link, you're blended into one. The three of you have one distinct feel, but if you met a Jedi who did not know you before now they would be none the wiser to you being pregnant – unless you told them."

"Oh," Padmé muttered, thinking this over. It was still a lot of theory to her; all she knew was that she could feel something greater flowing through her. "What about Anakin?"

"The same. He may notice the difference in you in regards to the Force but I don't think even he will be able to feel the children separately. The only way he will know you are pregnant is if you tell him."

Obi-Wan had a pretty good idea of how Anakin might react, but the news of her pregnancy might make him desperate. He was already quite unstable, for a Jedi, and such news might push him over the edge.

"Will they be trained as Jedi?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I honestly cannot say. It depends on too many things, first assuming that we all make it through this. Training them would be risky, for I have only felt one other person with a connection to the Force stronger than them: their father. The Council would figure out rather quickly these children belong to Anakin, which leads to a host of other problems."

_Like Anakin being expelled, _Padmé thought. _He would always know that these two are his children, but that they would belong to the Jedi. It would ruin him to know they are being trained, watching them from afar, while he is cast out._

"On the other hand…children this strong in the Force…incredible." Something made Obi-Wan remember the stories from the early days of the Order, when Jedi were allowed to marry – even other Jedi. If these children had both parents that were Jedi…it was something Obi-Wan could not even comprehend.

"It would be a waste not to train them," he continued. "We'll have to sort this out later…there's time between now and when they will be born. And, even still, we do not take them right away. Ultimately, it will be up to the Council."

"Alright," Padmé, said with a nod. Obi-Wan was right. All they could do for now was to wait, and whatever was to come would come.

"I still think we should move you somewhere else," suggested Obi-Wan again.

Padmé shook her head vehemently.

"No. I'm not going anywhere."

He gave her a look as if to say he thought she was making a grave mistake, but she did not waver.

"I'm staying here until I see Anakin again," she said forcefully.

With a nod, Obi-Wan stood up. He knew there was no persuading her otherwise. For a brief second, he felt a flash of irritation at her stubbornness, much like how he felt about Anakin at times. A mild reproach regarding their recklessness came to mind, but it was not Obi-Wan's place to chastise her. The time for that was past.

Not knowing what else to say, he muttered, "Perhaps that's just as well."

Offering no further explanation, he left. Some meditation at the Temple would be very welcome. Right now, Obi-Wan's mind was churning with thoughts, and he wanted to make them stop before his head exploded. Too much had happened in the past couple days. First his brother, then the message from Darth Sidious, Padmé turning up pregnant, and the thing that most concerned him: an explanation for what happened to Anakin during the battle for Kashyyyk.

As he flew back to the Temple, Obi-Wan came to the conclusion that it might have been better for Anakin to stay on Coruscant. He would talk to the Council about it immediately. Home could be the very thing Anakin needed right now.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thank you to Heppan, Disco Shop Girl, Elizabeth, and Porcelainangel for your comments. And now, chapter 3...

3

Darth Sidious turned around, breaking his view of Coruscant. Power surged through him, making ever part of him tingle. Never before had he exercised such energy before this endeavor. Soon the Republic would be his – no, he would be the Republic.

There were only two out there that could match his power. For now, they both were on the same side, against him. However, may he be a nerf herder if in good time one of them was not on his side.

Together, they would be able to defeat the only Jedi that could possibly think of taking them on. Darth Sidious smiled to himself. The Jedi fooled themselves, they could not see that he controlled the Senate already.

They couldn't sense him at all.

The ranks of the Jedi might contain near ten thousand, and Sidious might be one, but those ten thousand did the Jedi little good. For, if the light side of the Force were as strong as they championed, surely one of them would have found Sidious by now.

Thinking of how shocked the Jedi would be made Sidious's smile grow into an evil grin. Even a Dark Lord of the Sith allowed himself such frivolous pleasures from time to time.

There, through the Force, he could feel his next apprentice steeped in anger and frustration.

If it were possible, Sidious's grin grew wider.

* * *

Rash thoughts running through his mind, Anakin made no attempt to stop them as he paced the main sitting room of his quarters on Naboo. Looking out at the view beyond the balcony, he scowled. Sitting here, doing nothing, grated on his nerves. On top of that, he was furious with the Jedi for not attempting to get back to him after his message about Darth Sidious.

He had half a mind to hunt down the tyrant himself, just to prove something to the Jedi. Surely they would take him more seriously if he were to bring down the Sith.

One more look out at Naboo gave him an answer as to what he would do. It was not as brash as going after Darth Sidious, but the Jedi had to see reason. Without a word, he turned and went to his small sleeping room. Rummaging around for a minute, he pulled out his Jedi robes. As quickly as he could, he changed into them.

Adjusting his cloak, he smiled. It felt so good to be back in his Jedi gear. Before he left the room, he grabbed his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. Now he felt complete.

Anakin walked straight for the door of the apartment, saying nothing to the troopers that shared it with him. Just as he was about to reach the door, one of them noticed him.

"Sir! What are you doing?" he said, stepping in front of Anakin so that he was between the Jedi and the door.

"I'm leaving," replied Anakin bluntly. He moved to step around the trooper. The trooper matched his move, still in front of him. Another one of the soldiers noticed the slight altercation brewing at the entrance and stepped over.

"We can't allow you to leave, sir. We have direct orders from the Chancellor," the second trooper said.

For a second, that made Anakin pause. _The Chancellor? Palpatine? Why in the blazes would he care? _

Then it made sense to him. Palpatine gave them the orders so his identity would be safe. The fewer that knew he was a Jedi, the better. Not that it mattered now.

With an exasperated sigh, Anakin tried to push past the two men.

"I'm sorry sir. You're not going anywhere."

The white-clad trooper put his arm out to stop Anakin. Next to him, his partner drew his blaster as a warning, taking care not to aim it directly at Anakin.

To Anakin, the meaning was clear enough.

"You dare to threaten me?" he asked icily. His hand twitched, but he forced himself to not jump immediately for his lightsaber. While still impulsive, years of Jedi training finally had worked some magic and given him some self control.

"We only mean to protect you, sir." The two soldiers stood resolute.

Deciding that the time had come for some application of the Force, Anakin reached out. A little harsher than he usually might have, he made a suggestion to the troopers to let him past them. One of them wavered; the one with the blaster out did not. Instead, the blaster in his hands waved at Anakin.

For a second the Knight stood there, regarding them. It was highly unusual for someone not to give into one of his mind tricks. A little more irritated, he tried again with more force.

"I will stun you if I have to, sir," the trooper with the blaster said. "We have clear orders."

Anakin found himself staring straight down the wrong end of that blaster. In the corner of his mind, he knew they were just obeying the orders they were given – orders that were meant to protect him. However, as far as he was concerned, the situation had changed dramatically, and that required action.

Through the rest of him, though, he felt something else. In that familiar place, his temper was rising. No amount of Jedi training had been able to round out this part of him. With his new view of the Force, he reasoned that it was alright for him to do what he was thinking of doing.

He could feel the anger, the frustration, coming to a head – ready to unleash the power.

Reaching out to the Force, Anakin felt his anger taking over him for the third time in his life. These troopers would be sorry they tried to stop him.

"Oh, I don't think so," Anakin said menacingly. His eyes hardened, and before the troopers could react he whipped his lightsaber out. The blue blade hummed, making the only sound in the room. Despite the helmets the troopers wore, Anakin could sense their fear immediately.

Before they had time to react he brought the brunt of the Force down on them. Both men hunched over, as if they were going to be sick. To teach them a lesson for trying to defy a Jedi, he kept his control on them. With a hint of pleasure, he could feel their minds going weak as his hold on them denied their lungs air.

"Please…sir…" one of them gasped. It was the one who pulled the blaster on him, only now it had fallen to the floor.

And just like that, he snapped out of it.

Both of the troopers fell to the floor, the sound of them gasping for air muffled by their helmets.

Anakin stared at them in horror for a second, thinking, _What have I done? I lost control again!_

He stepped around them both, knowing that now he could not stay. He had to continue with this plan. Swallowing, he hardened his resolve. Out on the street, he decided on his course of action. Making his way across the city, it was really a short distance from his apartment he soon arrived at the sprawling beautiful building known as the Theed Palace.

Or what had been the sprawling beautiful building known as the Theed Palace thirteen years ago.

Focusing on his memory, Anakin could see the palace in its former glory – the incredible marble columns, the high domed ceilings, the graceful statues…

Before him, stood a shadow of those days. When the Separatists took over, their hired guards tried their best to bring down the palace. Columns had collapsed, parts of the roof were caved in. Everything appeared dirty and unkempt.However, lacking the proper resources (Anakin suspected that former Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray was in charge of this operation) they had failed miserably – the building still stood, even thought it was a loose sense of the term.

Approaching the palace, Anakin could see that a pack of Republic soldiers guarded the entrance, there in theory to keep any looters away. In reality, they had nothing else to do. As he walked closer they finally noticed him.

"Sorry, no one's allowed in here," the monochromatic filtered voice told him. "Direct orders of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine."

Anakin snorted. Of course Palpatine would make sure his name were attached to the orders. This had been his home, too, at one point. Knowing that what he came for had no threat to galactic security, Anakin decided to make use of his Force abilities to gain entrance to the palace.

Ever so slightly, he shuffled in his robes so that the hilt of lightsaber became visible only to the soldiers. With a small wave of his hand, he suggested, "I'm here on business for the Chancellor. Let me pass."

The soldier's head glanced down at the metallic glint made by the handle of the lightsaber. Looking back at Anakin, he said, "Oh. Yes, sir." Turning to his companions, he said clearly, "He's here on business for the Chancellor. Let him pass."

"Thank you," Anakin politely muttered as he stepped past them. Throwing his head over his shoulder, he called back to them, "And I shall let the Chancellor know that you were most helpful in this situation. The Republic could use more fine soldiers such as yourselves."

"Thank you, sir," came the flat reply.

Shaking his head, Anakin went inside the palace. There, a completely different scene met his eyes. Everything was destroyed – or at least partially ruined. What could not be turned into a pile of rubble without a blaster or brute force had been thrown against the walls. Statues were missing limbs, and scorch marks scarred the walls were blaster fire had gone astray.

Or perhaps not so astray. After all, Neimoidians had no sense of subtlety.

Despite the fact that the day outside was rather bright, the palace was dark. Wind whistled through broken windows, creating a ghostly sound throughout the entire structure. Nothing moved.

And that was when Anakin heard something clatter behind him. His danger sense flared and he whipped out his lightsaber, the blue blade becoming the only other light in the hallway. He spun around, robes swirling.

There was nothing there.

Feeling stupid, Anakin shut the lightsaber off and clipped it back to his belt. He scanned the hallway once more and spotted nothing amiss. Well, no more amiss than it already was. Slowly he turned back around and continued on his way.

Reaching out to the Force, he tried to find a sense of Padmé. Too many different beings reached his senses and instantly he had to back off. He could feel the fear of the royal family, the teeming excitement of the Separatist rebels as they swarmed the palace and under it all a sense of vengeance.

That did not surprise Anakin. It was becoming more and more clear that the Trade Federation had been involved in the second Naboo invasion. Just a few steps back, a dismembered battle droid lay with its parts scattered all over the place.

One thing did surprise him – the sense of the Supreme Chancellor.

Palpatine had been here in those past few crazy minutes. There was no mistaking him.

But that made no sense. Surely the Separatists would have taken the opportunity to murder the head of the government they fought. Carefully, Anakin stepped over a statue that he knew had once been on the outside of the palace. Now it rested on the floor, an arm broken off, in a pile of broken glass. Someone had chucked it through the window.

_I'm sure that got the point across,_ Anakin thought wryly. As he was about to turn a corner and go down a different hallway, he heard something behind him once more. He snapped to attention, but again there was nothing there.

All the rubble would give someone plenty of hiding places. The sense that he was being followed increased. In reality, this probably was a good place to sneak up on someone, even a Jedi.

Frowning, Anakin faced forwards again and continued down his new path. Here, there were no windows. He had entered the part of the palace that hosted the living quarters for the royal family.

He thought the Separatists had made a mess of the rest of the palace.

It was nothing compared to this – this one hallway made the rest of it seem sparkling clean.

Everywhere, items were strewn. All possible attempts to render everything useless had been made. Pillows, clothing, personal items…they all littered the hallway. Out of one doorway, leading to a bedroom Anakin assumed, lay a mattress with the center of it burned out by blaster fire. A pillow had been slashed with a vibrobalde, the stuffing falling out. The head to a child's doll had been ripped off and the rest of the toy was nowhere to be seen.

That made Anakin stop, a chill going down his spine. These people were monsters, and they had killed Padmé's family in cold blood. They deserved to pay for their crimes. His resolved hardened even more, he stepped into the hallway and once more reached out to find Padmé's lingering presence.

One of the rooms halfway down the corridor had belonged to her. If what Anakin came in search of was here, it would be in that room. Gingerly he made his way there, careful not to disturb anything as he did so. Stepping into the doorway he knew it without a doubt.

This was Padmé's room.

Feeling as if he were invading something sacred, he scanned the room. It looked just the same as the rest of the hallway – except that he could almost see the room the way it had once been, Padmé standing in the middle of it looking regal and elegant as ever. Giving the room a second glance he thought he could recognize dresses she had worn. Even after all these years he could still perfectly recall that beautiful white one she wore at the victory celebration after turning the Federation away the first time.

There was no sign of what he was looking for and his hopes fell. Forcing himself to remain positive, he reached out to the Force. And there…he could feel the slightest whisper of his touch…buried in the back of the dresser…

Anakin went over to the dresser, which no longer resembled a dresser. Anakin searched the items on the floor around it, then pulled one of the few remaining drawers out. He gave it a shake, scanning through the contents.

There it was. The exact thing he'd been looking for.

Nervously he reached out to pick it up. It made perfect sense for the Separatists to leave it – it held no monetary value, it was merely a simple token. And yet, through all these years, she still had it.

A trill of excitement went through him as he thought about giving it back to her, making him smile. Tucking the small thing into one of the many utility pouches on his belt, he turned around to leave.

And nearly jumped out of his skin. The small wooden drawer fumbled out of his hands and he struggled to catch it. He was unsuccessful, and it clattered to the floor, the rest of its contents now scattered.

Standing before him in the doorway, where it most certainly had not been before, was a droid. Its domed head clicked and whirred as his motion sensor tracked Anakin. Focusing on him, the thing let out a most irritated chirp.

"Like you have anything to be bitter about," Anakin muttered to the thing. "You nearly scared me to death."

The droid squawked back at him.

"Oh really? So now you think you can just sneak up on whomever you please?"

A low whine came from the blue and white droid, followed by a few whistles.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Anakin took a look around the room, letting the horror of what happened there sink in. "Did you know her?"

As he asked the question, the hilarity of the situation hit him. He was standing in the middle of the Naboo palace having a casual conversation with a droid he didn't know and had stalked him since he first entered.

A series of blips and beeps answered his question.

"Wait. You know me too?"

The droid made a sound that indicated he clearly thought Anakin was quite dumb.

"Yeah, yeah…" Anakin searched his memory. He couldn't remember any other droids like this one – only the R4 models the Jedi employed for use with their starfighters. Then there was the protocol droid he began to build years ago…

"R2? R2-_D2_?"

R2-D2 beeped an affirmative.

"Well, we've got to get you out of here."

R2 let out a wary whine.

"Don't worry. I know just the place."

Anakin moved past the droid and began to make his way down the hallway. Noticing that the droid was not following him, he turned around.

"Are you coming or not, R2? Don't worry. We'll get you back in touch with some old friends," he said, with a hint of a smile.

That convinced the droid, and with a series of clicks and whirrs he followed Anakin. Soon enough they were back outside the palace, saying goodbye to the soldiers standing guard. Glad to be out of the ghastly palace, Anakin made his way to the spaceport.

Within a few minutes, Anakin found a small ship that would serve his purposes. A slight twinge of guilt went through him, since he was essentially stealing the ship even though he reasoned that it was for "Jedi business."

Once he was free of Naboo's atmosphere, Anakin settled into his seat. As the ship made the jump to lightspeed he closed his eyes and tried to feel relieved. Everything would get better once he returned to Coruscant. Anakin smiled as he thought how Padmé would react to the special cargo he was bringing her. Leaning back in his seat he watched as the star were replaced by the blue haze of hyperspace.

Hours later, Coruscant loomed before Anakin like a glittering jewel.

When he spotted the Jedi Temple, Anakin had a brief feeling that perhaps this was a mistake. Part of him wanted to go to Obi-Wan first, but now that he was a Knight, it was his responsibility to explain his actions to the Council. Maybe he should go see the Council first…

No.

He had to go see Padmé first. Five months was too long. The Council couldn't keep them apart forever. With a warm feeling flooding him, the flight to Padmé's seemed to be forever. But forever was the time they had been apart.

As he neared her apartment, he felt something shift in the Force. The slight disturbance dampened his smile for second. Reaching out, he could not find any sense of danger. His senses weren't alerting him to any threats…yet there most definitely had been something that made the Force twitter. Ignoring it, he landed the small ship and stopped the engines.

Shielding his eyes with his hand, Anakin looked up the face of the tall building. Near the top he thought he could make out Padmé's window. He smiled again, and a thrill went through him. Finally, after five long months… She would be so surprised to see him. Barely able to contain his excitement he went inside and rode the turbolift up to her floor, R2-D2 in tow. When it opened up, Anakin almost ran out of it only to realize that it was the wrong floor, and a cranky looking Sullustan came in next to him.

The Sullustan merely glared at Anakin, who made a point of turning his attention elsewhere. Perhaps as a habit he picked up from Obi-Wan, when the older Jedi tried to act innocent in his younger days, Anakin took a particular interest in examining the wall of the turbolift in great detail. The turbolift came to a stop again, and Anakin checked to make sure it was the proper floor before he skittered out of it.

At her door, he paused for a second. Reaching into the depths of his memory, he tried to recall her security code. Tentatively he reached out and punched in six digits. Anxiety trilled through him for a second as nothing happened. The door beeped.

"Who's there?" Padmé called out in alarm. "I'm warning you, I'm armed!"

Just then, the door started to slide open.

Calling on the Force's calming abilities, he nudged it to Padmé so she would not shoot at him as he hopped inside. At first he didn't see her. She was here, he had just heard her…

"Anakin?" Padmé squeaked from behind him. He whipped around.

She was standing against the wall, ready to take the intruder by surprise from behind. In her hand, she clutched a rather dull knife.

"'I'm armed?'" Anakin joked, nodding to the knife in her hand. A grin broke out on his face as his eyes rested on her face.

_She's so beautiful. There's nothing more perfect in the galaxy_, he thought to himself. "It's just me."

Without another word Padmé ran over to him, the knife still in her hand.

"Hey! How bout you put that down before you kill me! Talk about a warm welcome!"

Padmé stopped, and looked at the knife then glared at him teasingly. "Well, how was I supposed to know who was coming through that door? I'm not a big Jedi like you. And you've been hurt!"

She put the knife down in the kitchen and bustled over to him. Instantly her hand went to the gash on his face, but she stopped, as if afraid to touch it.

"Don't you worry about that. I'm fine." Anakin put his hand up and intertwined his fingers with hers. She gave him a doubtful look.

"And just what is a Jedi like you doing getting yourself hurt?"

"Now you're just being mean."

"You should know that–"

She did not have time to finish her sentence because Anakin stepped over and kissed her warmly.

"I should know what?" he asked when done.

_Finally. I'm home. This is where I belong. They can't keep me away from her forever. _

"That I can't be mean."

"Oh I know you can't. But you are right now."

"And how's that?"

"You're not close enough."

With those words, he reached out and held her as tightly as he could. However, she did not feel as close to him as she used to. He glanced down, noticing that she was wearing a rather large dress, something akin to what he recalled her wearing as Queen those long years ago. Something else felt unusual about her, too. She fit in his arms differently.

Unable to place his finger on what exactly it was, he reached out to the Force. It flowed through him, greater than ever in the past five months. As the warmth flooded him, Anakin felt that he might actually be able to sleep in peace for once…his body started to give in to that idea…he felt out to Padmé even more through the Force.

And he jolted right back into himself.

That shift in the Force was from her. There was something very different about her in the Force. Sinking a little deeper, he could feel that she was still Padmé, yet something had changed radically in the way she resonated in the Force. It was almost like she could sense him back, which just did not happen. People did not spontaneously sprout Jedi talents and the ability to sense the Force. Either they could or they couldn't. It was that simple.

_Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan's been here – and recently_.

The revelation hit Anakin and his body tensed up again. He knew Obi-Wan's presence here had something to do with Padmé's change. Forcing himself to remain calm, he reminded himself, _She loves you. You know it._

"Are you alright?" Padmé softly asked with concern. Holding on to him, she felt Anakin suddenly tighten up. She leaned back from him slightly to get a better look at his face.

He looked down at her, a troubled smile coming across his face. "I'm alright. Don't you worry about me." Anakin gently put his hand up to her head, running his fingers through her beautiful curls.

"I'm not the only one with longer hair," he muttered. "I don't remember it being so pretty."

"Anakin…you've been on Naboo."

It wasn't a question.

Anakin sighed, wondering how to respond to her and not bothering to figure out how she knew. "I wanted to tell you. Trust me, I did. It killed me to be there and not have you there with me. I thought it was so unfair that the Council ferried me off there and left you here. When you mentioned coming back…I almost told you but thought that if you came back then I could surprise you.

"Guess I still surprised you though, didn't I?" Anakin gave her a squeeze.

Padmé nodded. She leaned up and kissed him.

Anakin broke the kiss off, giving her a gentle squeeze. Without a word, he stepped away from her and sat down on her couch. For a second, she did not follow him and he glanced back at her. She was frowning at the droid in the doorway.

"Anakin…where'd that droid come from?"

"Um," he stalled. "I…found him on Naboo. I had to work with the Republic forces back in charge…and one day I… Well, anyways, he's the same one you had when you came to Tatooine, and so I thought I'd bring him back to you."

She gave the droid another glance and bit her lip.

Slowly she started to move towards him, saying nothing more about R2. Watching her, he realized she walked differently, like something was impeding her. She sat down a little clumsily and leaned her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her.

A sigh of content left Padmé. Faintly she whispered, "I love you."

Warmth flooded Anakin as he heard those words. They were exactly what he needed to hear.

"I love you too," he murmured to her. Not hesitating, he leaned over to kiss her again. He lost himself as every bit of him became attuned to her. Maybe being apart for a time had been a good thing. It made him realize how much he missed her, how much he loved her.

Leaning away from her he fumbled with one of the small utility packs on his belt. Finding what he wanted inside, he pulled it out.

"I also brought you this," he said softly, holding out the small jopar carving to her.

Padmé's jaw fell open in amazement. "Where did you get that?"

"I found it for you."

"You were in the palace, weren't you?"

He smiled secretively.

"I…I forgot it was there. Where'd you find it? I thought they wrecked everything."

"I just…never mind," he grumbled, turning away from her

"Anakin…" She reached out to take it from him, but he pulled his hand away. "I didn't mean it that way. But honestly, you were just a small little boy. I'd be lying to you if I told you thought about you every day."

Anakin's hand trembled slightly, still holding the small jopar carving. _That_ certainly hurt…he supposed he always knew she had not remembered him every single day. After all she was a queen; he had just been some slave boy on a backwater planet…

The absurdity of their whole relationship hit him. She was a queen. He might have become a Jedi, but he really was just a slave. No amount of Jedi training or refugee status would change either of those facts.

"Fine." He leaned forward and simply dropped the small trinket on the table. It hit the tabletop with a loud _clink_. "I just thought you might like to have it back."

Anakin remained leaning forward, crossing his arms over his knees. Looking at her from the corner of his eye he said, "I brought it back for you just because I love you. I thought it might make you happy. I guess I was wrong."

"It did make me happy. It's just that…" she trailed off.

"What? It's just what?" he accused. He searched her face, seeking an answer.

_Obi-Wan. It has something to do with Obi-Wan–_

He did not have the time to expand the thought, and she did not have the time to answer for Anakin's comlink began beeping.

His head drooped and he closed his eyes, muttering, "Sithspawn."

_Now…of all the blasted times…it has to be NOW_, he thought bitterly. Irritated, he turned and sat straight up.

"Anakin Skywalker," he said into the comlink, his voice sharp and strained.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan spoke from the other end. "What in the blazes are you doing here? And where are you?"

Anakin rolled his eyes, holding in another curse.

"Oh, never mind that. I suggest you get back here immediately. You've defied direct orders, and the Council wants to speak to you."

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied, as a little bit of irony – sometimes the Jedi made him feel like a slave all over again. On the other end, he could hear Obi-Wan cut the connection.

To Padmé, he said, "I should go." Brusquely he stood up, robes swirling about him, and he grumbled, "I'll see you later."

"Anakin, wait!" Padmé called after him.

However, he said nothing, did not turn back to look at her. On his way out, he nearly slammed the door shut behind him.

_So much for a happy homecoming,_ he thought bitterly as he made his way back to the ship. Flying across Coruscant the short way back to the Temple he forced himself to put the bad moment with Padmé out of his mind. Dwelling on it would only make him more anxious, and now he was going to have to defend himself in front of the Council…

A knot twisted itself in Anakin's stomach as he landed the craft and hopped out of it. The technician gave him a smile and a warm "Welcome home, Master Skywalker," to which Anakin merely nodded. Normally he might have chatted with the man for a minute, as he loved helping the technicians tinker with the spacecraft. Right now though, he had much more pressing business.

Wishing his stomach would decide whether it wanted to reside inside him or not, Anakin tore through the hallways of the Jedi Temple trying to keep his irritation in check.

Of all the times for the Council to call him.

And for them to do something so insulting as to track him down through Obi-Wan, as if he were still a Padawan…it was insufferable.

The sound of each of Anakin's footsteps made a solid thump on the floor with his heavy boots. His face was calm, but he was given away by his furrowed eyebrows. Before knocking on the Council chamber door, he took a deep breath and forced himself to at least appear calm.

There was no response from the Council after his knock other than the door opening. Not a good sign. Anakin knew, though, that he had disobeyed a direct order. He was ready to defend that choice – no matter what the Council thought.

In the simple room, Anakin bowed deeply.

"Masters," he acknowledged. Standing straight again, he looked directly to Yoda and Mace. A familiar presence tingled nearby in the Force, but he ignored it. There would be time to talk to Obi-Wan later.

"Anakin Skywalker," Mace said coldly. "What a pleasant surprise it is to see you here."

Never in all his years had Anakin heard Mace use sarcastic words. He swallowed, realizing that perhaps he was in more trouble than he first believed.

"Well?" Mace questioned. There was no mercy in his voice. "How do you explain yourself this time?"

In his mind, Anakin could hear the unspoken, "_Without Obi-Wan to rescue you,_" behind Mace's words.

"I received a transmission from the Dark Lord of the Sith–" Anakin began.

Mace cut him off, "We know." The Jedi Master shifted in his seat, so that he sat taller and looked more imposing. His movement made Anakin step back from him ever so slightly. "Please, enlighten us as to how this changed your mission directives."

Anakin's throat went dry. He opened his mouth to speak, but found himself incapable of stringing two words together. Shutting it, he swallowed. Forcing his thoughts to focus, driven by his annoyance, he found himself able to speak.

"I felt that the fact that this Sith Lord was able to track me down when I was _seemingly_ placed there under the protections of this Council made my orders invalid. I felt that when I placed a transmission to the Temple and received no response back about this _urgent_ matter that it would obviously be best for me to return," Anakin growled, his voice dripping with insubordination.

"And so now, you feel that it is best for you to decide where you go and what you do when you wish Skywalker, regardless of this Council's advice?" Mace said dangerously.

"If you feel that you are ready to know what's best for you and those around you, as you plainly believe, then perhaps you should be the ruling body of this Council. Perhaps you would have ignorance rule instead of wisdom, insolence instead of respect, and anarchy instead of order?"

Mace's words stung. Anakin kept his gaze steadily on Mace, regardless. There was no way he would back down; he would not show his weakness to the Masters. In his seat, Mace leaned forward. His eyes remained on Anakin, where Anakin could see Mace's struggle to keep his anger in check.

"Furthermore," Mace continued, his voice quiet and low, "whatever danger you perceived from this Sith Lord has now increased. By returning, now you have placed the danger not only on yourself, but on the rest of the Jedi here."

Swallowing, Anakin shuffled backwards a step. This slow verbal assault, no, slaughter, was not at all what he expected. The truth to Mace's words, while scathing, sank in to Anakin.

He had made a horrible mistake. Somehow, the Sith Lord was able to track him…and now he had led them straight to the rest of the Jedi…but any Sith Lord should know that the Temple resided on Coruscant. Anakin's stomach knotted up, he felt sick.

He led the Sith Lord here.

Images of the Temple burning flashed through his mind.

The Council room was aflame, and a dark figure stood in the center of it, laughing. Death all around. Smoke choked the air.

The vision passed through Anakin's mind so fast he almost did not realize what he was seeing. He knew it was real because he felt the smoke burning his eyes and his nostrils, making his head spin. His insides turned over, leaving him feeling nauseous and weak.

Trying to keep control of himself, so as not to be sick all over the place and also to remain standing, he looked to Yoda for help. All through the interrogation the little green master said nothing. Yoda merely blinked at him, his expression showing nothing of what he thought. Anakin took a step back from the Council, completely unsure of what to do.

"Also led the danger to others close to you," Yoda said softly. His eyes settled on Anakin, almost looking through him. They stayed on him, half-way closing lazily.

Or knowingly.

Anakin's heart pounded.

"See through you, we can," Yoda continued. "Yet still clouded your future is. Yes, still clouded."

He stooped speaking as suddenly as he started. Anakin stared at him.

_What in the blazes does THAT mean!_ he thought. _That damn old swamp toad can't say anything that makes one iota of –_

A glance from Mace made Anakin cut that trail of thought off immediately. He was already in enough trouble; no need to invite more. Opening his mouth, Anakin was about to speak but Mace beat him to it.

"You are dismissed, Skywalker. We strongly _suggest_ that you stay near the Temple. We have to discuss the proper course to take with this event."

Anakin nodded, bowed, and turned to leave the Council room. Outside it, as he made his way through the hallways, his boots sounded hollow and dead on the floor.

_Event_. _I can't believe that's how they see me_.

_But you should…that's how they've always seen you…just a burden…_

He shook his head to clear the thoughts.

At first, Anakin thought that once he explained the reasons behind his actions the Council would understand the threat this Sith Lord posed. It seemed they still did not believe him in that area. All they were content to do was nitpick over his stupid return to Coruscant. They failed to see reason, and Anakin's anger surged again.

Once more, he felt like a slave working for a belligerent master. This time he had twelve masters, and one that especially got a rise out of grinding Anakin down.

Furious, Anakin realized that he had nowhere else to go but to his quarters. The idea of going to his room to sulk was pathetic, which made him all the more livid. At his quarters, Anakin shut the door shut with an extra nudge of the Force so that it slammed loudly. The sound made him scowl, yet feel satisfied at the same time. No sooner had it shut than it whipped open again.

Anakin spun around, ready to give Obi-Wan a piece of his mind.

And standing there was not Obi-Wan, but Barriss Offee.

"B – Barriss?" Anakin croaked. He stared at her in disbelief.

The woman shook her head at him, and slightly rolled her eyes. "What's got you all in a stir?"

"What?"

"Please. You're back. So that means rumors. You're angry. So that means more rumors. I'd prefer to know the _real_ story, thank you very much."

A string of words came out from Anakin's clenched jaw, of which Barriss was only able to make out "Council," "not listening," and "Naboo."

After he finished, she shook her head at him.

"You always overreact," Barriss said simply. He glared at her. "The Council's not going to expel you."

"How do you know?"

"Because they do care about you. They want to see you succeed. Sometimes we just have to learn lessons that are harder than others, and sometimes they just teach them a little harsher than what might normally be expected. They just want to make sure you're ready."

"Ready for what?"

Barriss studied him for a second before answering. Usually she did not mention his being the Chosen One. It was not in her nature to play on pride and status. Quietly she said, "One day, you'll sit there on that Council, Anakin. They know it. So they just want to make sure they've taught you everything they possibly can."

Anakin sighed. There was some truth to her words. If the Jedi were fed up with him, they would have thrown him out a long time ago. At the same time, he felt that if they kept him around because he might be this "Chosen One" (another thing that bothered him, but that he would think about later) it was too much favoritism. Jedi should not be allowed such license.

"They do this so that you know you're not their favorite, so that you know what you have learned is real – not just all because of blind faith in some old prophecy," Barriss assured him, almost reading his mind.

He stared at her. She smiled knowingly back.

"Your thoughts give you away, Anakin. You still need to work on that." With those words, she smiled again and left.

Anakin stood there, his hand raised in midair to accentuate what he had been about to say, but now it pointed in the direction she left a couple times before it fell back to his side. Visits from Barriss were rare, since they both were often on opposite sides of the galaxy with the Clone Wars. She was the closest thing to a friend he had at the Temple besides Obi-Wan, and she had been ever since they first met on the mission to Ansion three years ago. Somehow, with just a few words, she was always able to pull out what troubled him – even things he did not know troubled him – and make him look at it in different way.

Settling into his sleeper mattress, Anakin closed his eyes. Barriss was right. He could weather whatever the Council decided to give him. He always had before, so there was no reason he wouldn't now. Someday…someday this would all work out. After a few minutes, he dragged his thoughts away from the Council.

At first, they wanted to rest on Padmé, but that only made Anakin irritated, not to mention sad. Now Padmé was keeping something from him. Another worry was just what he needed at the moment.

_So much for that comfort_, Anakin thought despairingly. He rolled over, bunching his pillow up to make himself more comfortable physically and wondering what to do. He was in a royal mess that was for sure.

_Obi-Wan_.

So far Anakin had not seen him at the Temple. The fact that Obi-Wan had been sitting in the Council room, just behind him, did not register because of his anger during the session with the Council.

Surely Obi-Wan would listen to reason. If Obi-Wan didn't listen…then that would be one more way in a million that Anakin would be pulled. He already felt spread too thin, too stressed out for his age. Perhaps he would to talk to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, too, when the politician returned to Coruscant.

In the meantime, Anakin decided he would do his very best to be the model Jedi. It was of the utmost importance that he regain the trust of the Council, even though that trust had been very small to begin with. If Anakin could bring it back, and even make them trust him more, then he could start working on his other problems.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

4

The next morning came too soon for Anakin. He woke groggily, realizing with a start that he had actually…_slept_. Sitting up, he rubbed his neck as it had a rather bad kink in it. When that didn't work, he soothed it with the Force, letting all tension wash away from his muscles.

_I must have slept because of Padmé…_Anakin thought. For a second, his heart warmed at the thought of her. Then he remembered the circumstances under which they had parted and he leaned forward, putting his head in his hands.

Everything came rushing back…Sidious, the Council, Padmé…

Anakin felt that perhaps sleeping wasn't such a good thing. The few short hours of sleep left him feeling worse, even more tired and thin. His eyes were raw from the lack of sleep over the past few months, and Anakin wanted most of all to drive his fingers into them – anything to stop the burning.

Moving slowly, as he might expect Yoda would after a restless night, Anakin left his room for the refresher and perhaps even a shower. There was no denying the magic the warm, soothing water cascading over him would have. Yes, a shower would be very nice indeed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had one.

_Maybe that's what was wrong with Padmé, _he tried to joke to himself.

There was something she was keeping from him; she didn't want him close to her for fear of having him find out something. In the back of his mind, Anakin vowed to find out whatever it was she was hiding. As he thought it, he neglected to think about what he kept from her, such as his nightmares…

Anakin shook his head, stepping under the water in the shower. Thinking about such things led him nowhere. It was best to leave them alone, let them rest in the back of his mind where he could ignore them.

After he was refreshed and smelling much better, the grime and grit of space travel washed away, he made his way to the kitchens. There, he forced down a meager breakfast. The food tasted stale and dull to Anakin, feeling like sandpaper as it went down his throat.

No, he couldn't even get simple joy out of the usually good food the Temple served.

Pushing his plate away, he set his forehead down on the table. When a custodial droid came by and took away his half-eaten meal, he did not protest.

He just wanted to sink into the floor and never have to deal with anything again.

"Anakin?"

The voice spoke to him softly. A soothing presence in the Force reached out to Anakin.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan said again.

Slowly, the former Padawan turned around to face him.

"Master?"

For a moment Obi-Wan paused, wondering what to say. Finally, he replied, "I wanted to see how you were doing."

_How I'm doing? He wants to see how I'm doing? If he cared so much, then why didn't he get hold of me earlier – when it could have made a difference?_

"Same as always," Anakin muttered bitterly.

"Perhaps we should go somewhere else…?" Obi-Wan suggested neutrally.

Anakin nodded in agreement. There was no way he was going to discuss anything with Obi-Wan where a good portion of the Order would hear about it. In three days everyone would know what plagued Anakin Skywalker, and then some.

Walking past Obi-Wan, Anakin made his way through the Temple out to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He remembered the first time he saw it – he could not believe all the water before his eyes. The idea of keeping so much water in one place, and making it do such fantastic things, captivated him. To this day, thirteen years later, it remained his favorite place in the Temple.

Besides sparring with Obi-Wan, of course.

Patiently behind him, Obi-Wan followed. He knew that his former Padawan was headed out to the fountains. Sure enough, Anakin went to his favorite fountain.

Water cascaded out of a central prism, shooting into eight separate streams. Each one reflected a rainbow of colors, landing in eight concentric points from the center prism. The soft splash of the flows of water was barely heard over the rest of the fountains, but Anakin knew how to concentrate in just a way to hear each of the different eight streams hitting the pool at the bottom of the fountain. With a subtle nudge of the Force, he could make one of the streams bend, sometimes creating brightly concentrated colors in the water from the light refraction.

Just now he was doing exactly that. The water stream before him was bent into a large curve, starting where the red light reflected through it. Anakin found the exact point where he could refract the red light through the entire stream.

Red.

Such a bright color.

Such passion – and evil.

Like almost everything else, even the Force itself, the mere color of red stood for two things. It was the color of lovers, signifying the wonderful beauty of two beings uniting in love. It was the color of blind rage, and ultimately evil, the exact opposite of love. There was no coincidence why the Sith used red Adegan crystals in their deadly weapons.

Sensing Obi-Wan coming up behind him, Anakin dropped the connection and the water went back to its usual flow.

"Anakin…the Council only is doing what is sees as best for you. They only want to help you," Obi-Wan said.

"It doesn't seem that way," came the stony reply.

Obi-Wan sighed.

Anakin turned around, his face unreadable. "Why didn't you get back to me? I sent you a message. I needed your help."

The words hung heavy with accusation in the air. Anakin watched as Obi-Wan shifted on his feet. He knew what that meant. His former Master was thinking of something to say, something to excuse his behavior. One too many times had Anakin seen Obi-Wan make that exact movement before discussing something with the Council, and usually it was to cover up something he, Anakin, had done.

Anakin braced himself, waiting for the excuse to come…

"I…had a meeting with the Council," Obi-Wan said carefully.

_He was with Padmé_, the dark voice in Anakin's mind whispered. _You know he was_.

"She's worried about you, Anakin. We all are."

Somehow Obi-Wan knowing he was thinking about Padmé did not surprise him. After so many years together, they easily knew the basic idea of what the other was thinking. Anakin looked back at the fountain, not sure what to say.

"It sure seems like everyone's doing a whole lot of worrying," he scowled. "But nobody's actually _doing_ anything."

"Well, what do you want us to do?" Obi-Wan pressed.

Anakin sighed. There was so much…how could he ever explain it all? It would get him kicked out of the Order, Obi-Wan would not understand his love for Padmé, and there would be a rebuking about how sensing the future with the Force is such a tricky business.

He wanted none of it right now.

Instead, all he wanted was one moment of peace, where there was no danger from Sith Lords, or battles, or any of the other million things pressing down on him. If he could just have one moment to stand here, looking at the way the water came from this beautiful fountain…he might be alright.

"Anakin, what happened at Kashyyyk?"

The younger Jedi stared at his mentor, jaw hanging open slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"I can tell it's been resting heavily on you. And not to mention…there's no denying what everyone felt through the Force."

"I don't know what happened," Anakin admitted softly, looking back to the fountain.

At first, Obi-Wan opened his mouth to rebuke Anakin, thinking that the other Jedi was being sarcastic in his answer. Then he realized that Anakin did not understand what happened. He shut it, letting Anakin continue.

"I don't know…one minute I was linked to everyone, holding them all together. I could even feel the Republic troopers…and then it just snapped. It all just fell apart."

Anakin's voice cracked, and he pulled his arms close about him for comfort. In his mind, the horrible memory of the Master he slaughtered played through his mind and he dreaded the sound of that last scream of the Master's. It came though, echoing through his mind as if he were hearing it for the first time again, out there in space above Kashyyyk. Anakin squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep the tears from welling up.

He stopped there, not wanting Obi-Wan to know exactly what he had done. That would earn him only another nasty session in front of the Council…

"I could feel their deaths as my own," Anakin said softly, his voice choked. Obi-Wan knew he was talking about the Jedi that were lost in the battle.

"It's natural for people to die in battle, Anakin. It's the way of things," Obi-Wan explained hollowly. The words offered little comfort, sounding dead even to him. As soon as he said them he looked down at the ground, feeling stupid.

"Have you ever felt someone's death so close to you that you think it's your own? That you think it's your own spacecraft blowing up, your own body ripping apart?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, as he had no such experience.

"That, and their deaths were my fault."

"Anakin, you can't save everyone. You should know this," the other Jedi tried again to comfort Anakin and failed miserably.

Anakin sighed. Obi-Wan just didn't get it. He never would. "I knew you wouldn't understand," he accused.

"Then tell me so that I can understand. You're still not telling me half of what happened, I can tell. I know you better than you think," Obi-Wan let out, exasperated.

_And I know _you_ better than _you_ think_. Anakin snorted, knowing that Obi-Wan was not telling him all there was to his story.

"I'm not lying, as you seem to believe, when I say that I want what's best for you, Anakin. I didn't take the time to train you for nothing; I wouldn't have done it if I didn't care about you. And, the Council does too."

"How would you know what the Council cares about?"

"As I said, I have to attend meetings with them. Including ones about your recent return."

In confusion, Anakin narrowed his eyes.

"I'm on the Council, Anakin."

And with those words, a wall went up in Anakin's eyes. Obi-Wan knew that look well. Too many times had he seen his Padawan glaze over, captive to his emotions.

"If you were there, why didn't you say something? You know I wouldn't do something unless I thought it absolutely necessary!"

"I didn't say anything because I don't know why you came back. You did defy a direct order, as you have the habit of doing." Obi-Wan crossed his arms, irritated. He gave Anakin a long and hard look, trying to figure out what was going on in the other Jedi's mind.

There was nothing to find. Anakin was completely shut down, his eyes stony and flat. Nothing of their usual warmth remained. He turned back to the fountain.

"So now you're just spying on me for the Council, is that it?"

As soon as he said the words, he regretted them. Anakin could feel the spike in anger and Obi-Wan's attempt to control it. In the back of his mind, he felt a little jolt of pleasure that he made his former Master so flustered.

"Be careful," Obi-Wan warned. "You might just drive everyone away."

With that, he turned and left Anakin standing by the fountain.

When he was out of earshot, Anakin muttered, "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to have attachments."

Bitter, he stared at the water for a few more minutes. The battle played over and over in his mind. After a few moments, unsuccessful at getting the memory to leave him, he gave into it.

With a deep breath, Anakin submersed himself in all he could remember of the battle. Under everything, he could feel the same power he had right before everything went haywire. It was the Force, but somehow different. He tapped into it, just a little bit, afraid that opening himself all the way up like he did during the battle would end in just as dangerous a disaster as last time.

From this angle, the Force was amazing. He could bend it to his will; he could bend almost anything to his will. It took almost no effort at all to make the water dance in a series of colors to his liking.

The sound of younglings made Anakin's focus break. A few of them were standing at another fountain, shooting water at each other with the Force. They were still rather unskilled, however, and so the water shot away from the fountain for a couple inches then fell back into it.

Watching them gave Anakin an idea.

Younglings were so delicate because their abilities had not been trained. Only training made them into stable Jedi. Anakin watched them for a few more minutes, and found himself smiling at their innocence. At one point, he decided to tease them; reaching out with the Force he shot one of the jets of water at one of them.

The young Bith squealed in surprise. One of the younglings looked around, knowing that her companions could not have accomplished the feat. She spotted Anakin and pointed to him, whispering to her friends.

Meanwhile Anakin, watching all of this from his spot, could not help but smile. He glanced down at his feet, blushing. He gave the younglings a small wave then left the garden. His troubles forced away, into the corners of his mind, he had something new to think about.

Master Yoda would be very interested in it indeed.

* * *

The next few days passed in a haze for Anakin. Sometimes he stayed in his quarters for hours on end, not wanting to venture out into the rest of the Temple. His heart ached for Padmé, but he was unsure of how to fix things with her, and part of him wanted nothing to do with her for the time being.

Tensions still ran high between him and Obi-Wan. They had reached a truce of sorts; Anakin asked Obi-Wan nothing about the Council or Padmé, and Obi-Wan asked Anakin nothing of Kashyyyk or Padmé.

A couple times, he even practiced with Barriss on their lightsaber skills. She was quite a match for Anakin, and he for her. Not even the lighthearted sparring sessions could brighten Anakin's mood, though. Finally, he decided to seek out the one Master who might be able to help him – Yoda.

Anakin sat before Yoda, surrounded by so many green and living things that he felt like he were stuck in some mysterious swamp on some faraway world. Privately, Anakin wondered if maybe the décor in Yoda's chambers reflected the alien's homeworld, whatever it may be. Regardless, there was one thing that could be solidly said about Yoda's quarters: they teemed with _life_.

"Come to see me, have you, young Skywalker. And what brings you here?" Yoda asked calmly, a little smile in his voice. "Something troubling you, I sense."

Yoda fell silent, patiently looking Anakin over and waiting for him to speak. Nine hundred years taught Yoda the value of patience, especially when it came to a troubled Jedi.

For a second, Anakin regarded the green Master, wondering where to begin. Surely he knew that he and Obi-Wan were not on the best of terms, already that rumor seemed to have spread through the Temple. Anakin thought it might have had something to do with those younglings he spotted just before he left the gardens.

"Master…" Anakin began then stopped. Talking with Obi-Wan and talking with Yoda were two completely different things. Yoda could pick up so much more than Obi-Wan; he could understand the hidden meaning of words that were said – and unsaid.

"Many things rest on your mind, Anakin. See this I can. But only through speaking of them can you gain help." Yoda leaned back in his seat, giving Anakin a gentle smile.

Deciding to take the plunge, Anakin continued:

"Master, what does the Order believe about immersing yourself completely in the Force?"

Yoda took a deep breath before answering. A delicate question this was, indeed. Steadily, he replied, "Tricky such power is. If not used with care, to the dark side it can lead. Taking advantage of the raw power of the Force it is, and careful one must be when using it. Only a thing for the highest Masters, not even attempted by most is it."

Anakin nodded. This answer was close to what he expected. "But Master…would it not be wise to train someone who has the innate ability to make use of such talents?"

"Of yourself you speak."

Yoda was not asking him a question, merely affirming Anakin's unsaid words. Anakin's silence gave Yoda the confirmation he needed.

"Why seek such powers do you?"

In the back of his mind, Anakin was tempted to reply with something along the lines of "_Having more power with the Force_," but he knew no such answer would satisfy Yoda. It would only get him a long lecture, one he probably had heard on more than one occasion. Instead he said carefully, "I want to understand what it is I'm doing."

Yoda blinked and glanced down at a rather leafy vine at his side. One of his infamous moans came from him.

"Mmmm…" He looked back to Anakin. "And what exactly is it that you are doing?"

That made Anakin shift uncomfortably in his seat. His robes rustled around him.

_Now, if I knew the answer to that I wouldn't be here would I?_

"I don't really know, Master," Anakin said simply. His eyes on Yoda, he watched the green alien realize that Anakin was not being smart with his words – he truly was looking for answers. "I found something in the Force unlike anything I've ever felt or seen. It was as if I could see everything – everything was laid out before me."

The words came out from Anakin in a rush. Never, in the five months since Kashyyyk, had he opened up so much about what happened. However, there were things that Master Yoda was most definitely _not_ going to know. The memory of Master Stelsus stung in the back of Anakin's mind.

Before him, Yoda suddenly had an expression as if something just dawned on him, that some puzzle now made sense.

"Of the Unifying Force you speak. Not for many centuries have the Jedi seen anything like it, found it in such a way."

"How'd you…?"

Yoda merely smiled at Anakin. Anakin realized there were a thousand ways that Yoda could have known about the connection he made to the Force during the battle. After all, Mace had been there, and so had Obi-Wan…not to mention the fact that it was not entirely impossible for Yoda to sense it through the Force alone. It was more improbable that Yoda had not felt it.

"Master, what of the Unifying Force and the light and dark sides?" Anakin asked desperately, seeking some validation to his actions. He needed it, if Master Yoda told him that it was alright then Anakin knew part of his mistake would be forgiven, that he would be vindicated.

"Bind everything together, the Unifying Force does. Influence life, our actions, does the Living Force. In using the Unifying Force, blurred the line becomes but still matter your actions do," Yoda advised.

In response, Anakin's face turned thoughtful. Yoda's words implied that there was a solid distinction between the light and the dark. Yet what Anakin saw gave a completely different picture. Perhaps Yoda understood this and thus said that actions were important – or the intent to reach certain ends with them.

"Still more on your mind there is," the green alien stated.

Anakin gave a little nod of acknowledgement to Yoda, thinking over how best to describe what he came to realize about the Force during the battle.

"Yes, Master. I think I may have found out what it means to balance the Force."

There. He said it.

Yoda's eyes grew wide, as if he had waited his whole life to hear these words and finally understand what the Prophecy meant.

"Then all shall come to pass," Yoda whispered.

"What? I'm sorry Master, I didn't hear you."

Yoda shook his small head before replying. "Come to understand this, how did you?"

"I don't really know, Master. I was trying to increase the Jedi link, and suddenly – I could see everything, like I said. It was as if I could see the Force, the Unifying Force, itself and all there was to the galaxy was the Force. And it was there that I understood what balance is."

"Interesting this is. A long time it has been since a Jedi discovered such a path to the Force."

"Wait. Don't you want to know how the Force has to be balanced?"

"Your destiny that is, young Anakin. Not mine."

Anakin stared at the wizened Master, trying to understand what he was saying. And then it hit him – Yoda knew that the Force would not be balanced in his lifetime. Now that Anakin came to him, telling him that he knew what it was he had to do, it affirmed that Yoda's time was coming to an end.

All this time he had been so stupid. The Council truly was trying to teach him all it knew, they were expecting him to be the next Yoda. How many of the Masters knew what Yoda believed about his own death, Anakin could not say for sure.

"But Master – if you're not going to be – be here when the Force is balanced, and I have to balance it using this new way, there has to be a Master than can teach me what it is I'm doing."

The corners of Yoda's mouth turned up, and Anakin realized he was looking at one of the few Jedi who did, perhaps the only one in the Order today.

Not knowing how else to put his request, Anakin asked Yoda simply, "Would you teach me how to do it?"

Yoda only gave a sigh in response, and Anakin knew what the answer would be. Already, he could hear the litany of excuses that Yoda would have.

"Too young are you. Too inexperienced."

Anakin predicted that much. It seemed that was the Council's Universal Excuse to Everything Regarding Anakin Skywalker.

"But–" he began to protest.

"Need more control do you, before you begin to learn such mysteries. Too dangerous is it for you to know them, when you have improper control not becoming a Jedi."

That made Anakin freeze.

Did Yoda know about what he had done, how he lost control?

He just stared at Yoda for a second. There was nothing he could think of to say without endangering the rest of his secret. He mulled over what Yoda said, putting his hand to his chin and chewing on the inside of his cheek.

This decision of Yoda's meant one thing: the Masters did not trust him. It was always obvious they did not trust him, but now Anakin realized he had more work cut out for him than he originally thought. Feeling his now familiar flash of anger, he thought about getting up to leave. He did not need to stay where he was not trusted.

"More to say, have you?" Yoda asked suddenly.

Anakin started, it seemed there was nothing that the Master did not know.

"Uh…" he stalled. "Master…what exactly does the Prophecy say?"

"Born a child shall be, during a time of rising darkness. Balance the Force this child shall," Yoda answered.

"That's it? There's no more to it?"

In all his years at the Temple, everyone referred to this prophecy, yet no one ever told Anakin what _exactly_ it said. All he knew was that people believed that he was this child.

"How old is it?" Anakin needed to know if what Lord Sidious said was true – if indeed the Prophecy were made when the Jedi and the Sith were one, all those years before differences drove the two apart.

"Know its origin even I do not," Yoda said. His eyes danced, as if he were glad there was something that was older than he.

"Hmm," was all Anakin could reply with.

So far this was not helping. In fact, it was making a stronger and stronger case for the Sith Lord. And that did nothing to help Anakin's nerves. Now two groups seemingly believed he would balance the Force, and Anakin was not about to go blabbering that this Sith Lord expected it of him.

Not even to Yoda.

"Sense much anxiety in you, I do. Yours to choose is your path. Choose for you no one can. Believe all things work out, do you not?"

Yoda gave him a wizened look.

_Yeah, that is what I believe, but I just want to know how it's all going to work out so I can just rest for a moment and not feel like the world's caving in on me._

"Worry not. Fear not! Faith in you I have."

_But is it the right faith? _

Anakin sat for another second then got up. He knew well enough by Yoda's words that the discussion was over. He mumbled a thank you to the old Master and gave him a cursory bow.

Outside Yoda's quarters, he paused for a second. He felt even more confused than ever. If only something, anything, might offer him a bit of clarity…

* * *

The Supreme Chancellor's personal shuttle rocketed toward Coruscant. Two weeks ago, the Separatists sent a message to the Republic, willing to discuss possibility of negotiations with the Chancellor.

Palpatine sighed as he watched the glittering planet become larger in his viewport. It would be good to be home. From here, he could conduct his business so much better. Already his mind was focusing back on what he would report to the Senate.

Negotiations with the Separatists had not gone…well. This, of course, was an understatement. Palpatine was willing only to accept their total surrender, while the Separatists wanted to keep the systems they now controlled.

To the Chancellor, this was completely unacceptable.

It was completely unacceptable to the Republic.

Citizens and delegates alike to the Republic would be outraged. The blame would fall on the Jedi, Palpatine knew that much. To the Republic, he had done all he could – and then some – to keep the Separatist threat at bay.

The thought of the Jedi taking the blame for this made Palpatine smile. Personally, he had no great liking for them. He never had. If they happened to be a casualty of this whole mess…then so be it. They were all so condescending, thinking they were better than the rest of the Republic – the people that loved Palpatine, those that he served.

No, such a rigid institute could not be left intact. At the very least, Palpatine would push for legislation making the Jedi directly accountable to the Supreme Chancellor, or, himself. He would be the one to cut away the cancer of the Republic: the gluttony of the Senate, the inability of the courts to act and, of course, the Jedi.

The Jedi were the rotten glue holding the entire system together.

Perhaps certain philosophical issues could be attributed to the hatred Palpatine had for the Jedi. Most of all he knew they would never stand for the radical changes in had in mind for the galactic government. He knew that as soon as they discovered the truth about his plans, they would take every move necessary to stop him. Already, they had growing suspicions of him.

Even their brightest student, young Anakin Skywalker, had his doubts of the Chancellor. The nervousness the boy had around him was so obvious even a womp rat could pick it up. At the same time, Anakin was the reason that the Chancellor could stand the Jedi – for now.

Having been around for awhile in this galaxy, he knew Anakin was beginning to crack. With a little bit of encouragement, Palpatine might be able to persuade Anakin of a few key ideas – and thus able to influence the rest of the Jedi.

Palpatine did not wish to destroy the entire Jedi Order…yet.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

To Heppan, Laura-chan, Disco Shop Girl, Porcelainangel, and Hopeless4Life thank you for all your comments!

5

"Don't worry," Anakin said, trying to calm Padmé down. "They won't find out."

She gave him an exasperated look.

"Trust me," he repeated. He looked at her, his eyes imploring her to not be angry with him.

"Anakin…"

"I came here to make things better. I have to make things better," Anakin went on, reaching out to place his hand on her arm.

"Defying the Council's not going to make things better, Anakin," Padmé told him softly. She thought he was insane for trying to sneak away to see her like this. "They told you to stay put, so you should stay put."

He snorted, turning away from her and walking to the kitchen.

"The Council doesn't know much these days. They're too old. They just sit on their butts all day, blocking themselves from the Force and ignoring the things going on around them."

"Surely you don't mean that. Some of the Council members have been important to you – what about Obi-Wan?"

Anakin didn't reply. Watching him, she could sense that there was something not right between Anakin and Obi-Wan. Padmé made a mental note to ask about it later, perhaps when Anakin had calmed down some.

"Obi-Wan's…done all he can," Anakin said distantly.

"What do you mean?" Padmé replied, stepping next to him in the middle of the kitchen. "And what did you come in here for?"

Anakin could not help but smile, shaking his head. "I don't really know," he admitted. "It just seemed like the only place I could hide was in here."

"And what are you hiding from?" Padmé's voice soothed. She rubbed his arm gently. Something was bothering him, she knew it. Next to her, Anakin took a deep breath and let it out in a rush.

"I wish I knew," he answered, his voice barely a whisper. He repeated, "I wish I knew."

After holding her close for a few seconds, Anakin glanced down at her.

"And what in the world is that thing you're wearing? You look like an oversized balloon."

Padmé blushed, wondering what to tell him. "You don't like my dress?"

"It's…very interesting. It reminds me of something."

"Oh? What?"

"You. Back in Naboo…all those elaborate dresses you wore as Queen."

This time, Padmé said nothing in reply, but buried her face against Anakin's chest. She wanted so much to tell him about the children, but she knew it was for all of their protection that she maintain her silence. Anakin would get over the deception…in time.

"What is it? Something's bothering _you_, I can tell," Anakin murmured in her ear, squeezing her gently at the same time.

"My thoughts are filled only of you," she said, making it as little of a lie as she could. After all, she was thinking about Anakin, just not in the way she hinted.

"Padmé," Anakin said, stepping away from her and breaking the hold they had on each other. "There's…there's something I want to talk to you about."

Padmé nodded, trying to not reach her hand to her stomach out of reflex. There was no need to draw Anakin's attention there.

"We should find you a new apartment. It's dangerous for you to be here. I came back because–"

"I know," Padmé cut him off. "The Sith Lord contacted you. The Jedi didn't get back to you so you came home."

Anakin's jaw dropped in surprise. "How'd…?"

"Obi-Wan told me."

Promptly, Anakin's jaw shut, clenching as it did so. "Oh," was his only reply.

"He wanted me to move too, then. But I told him no. I wasn't going to go anywhere until I saw you again."

That made Anakin smile. She was so amazing. His heart melted for her all over again, with just those simple words. Stepping back close to Padmé, he gave her a deep kiss.

"I'm glad you stayed."

"Me too."

"Now, I have an idea. Like I was saying…we should get you out of here."

"And just how are we going to manage that? Do you think we should go back to Obi-Wan or something?"

Padmé moved past him and began to gather some things in the kitchen.

"No. I won't bring the Jedi into this. There's too much at stake."

Those words made Padmé freeze in her place. Did he know about the children? Should she tell him right now?

"I'm fed up with them right now. I don't want their help because there's not much they can do, obviously. If they were able to do anything useful, then they would already have the Sith Lord responsible for the deaths of all those Masters."

Relief went through Padmé at his explanation.

"I was so worried when I heard about that," she said softly. She glanced up at him, the concern showing in her eyes. "Did you know any of them?"

The look that came over Anakin's face told her all she needed to know.

"Oh, Anakin…I'm so sorry." Dropping the dishes she had in her hands on the counter, she came over to him. She wrapped her arms around him, wishing there was something she could do to help him. "Who was it?"

"Master Nejaa Halcyon," he said distantly.

Padmé did not recognize the name, so she snuggled as close as she could to Anakin. "And…" she said, to get a better picture of whom this person was.

"He's been somewhat of a friend… we worked on things together here and there over the past few months while I was away. It turns out the Jedi think he's a little problematic – just like me. So they kept us both out of the way in the Outer Rim.

"He was the only Master I ever got along with well, besides Obi-Wan of course. He understood being in love and being a Jedi."

For a second, Padmé almost reprimanded him for telling another Jedi about them, but she could sense that Anakin would only tell someone else if he had a good reason to trust him. She kept her silence, trusting that Anakin would tell her in good time.

"It turns out that I'm not the only Jedi to break the Code and fall in love." Anakin looked down at her, a smile showing through his sadness.

"What?"

"He's married. Only now…his wife's all alone. That Sith Lord killed him," Anakin's tone went sour again.

His jaw set, and Padmé could feel the angst coming off him in waves. Inside her, she felt the one child twist about, as her father's anxiety flooded through her mother. Somehow, Padmé knew this one child was a girl – and the other a boy. Call it intuition, call it the Force, call it what ever you like, she knew. Just as Obi-Wan showed her, she calmed the small baby.

Anakin looked at her for a second, a little confusion on his face. Perhaps he could sense the slight move she made with the Force. However, she held his gaze, saying nothing. Suddenly he spoke, and for a second, Padmé was afraid that he was going to be angry with her.

"Padmé…this all has me thinking. Maybe we should just leave. We can get away from here, we can go somewhere safe… And that way, the Jedi don't have to know about us, we can live together, we can get married…have a family. No one would have to know."

"And you leave the Order?" she stammered, aghast. _What in the blazes is he thinking?_

"I might not have to completely…" he trailed off, putting his hand to her cheek. She raised an eyebrow at him in skepticism. "There are Jedi that don't live at the Temple. There's nothing that says we have to stay there. And far away…they don't ever have to know about us. I think that's how Master Halcyon did it."

This certainly was tempting. For a second, Padmé thought it over. She and Anakin…they could be together. The very idea of it made her knees weak. She could tell him about the children, he would be so surprised to find out…he wanted a family and already he was a father…

But what of her people?

Naboo was stabilized now; she could go back before long. Well, as soon as the Supreme Chancellor was sure that it was safe for her to return. And surely that would be in next to no time. Once the Republic intervened, the Separatist rebellion crumbled. She knew for sure that Anakin could not go with her to Naboo – the Jedi could find them there.

There was no answer right now. Padmé leaned up against him, pushing her thoughts away and letting herself be content in having him close for the moment.

"I guess we can just figure it out later," Anakin mumbled. He said nothing else, though, and just held Padmé close.

Suddenly his comlink started to beep.

"Not _again_…" he moaned. One arm still around his love, he reached for the stubborn device. "Anakin Skywalker speaking."

"Anakin? How wonderful it is that I got hold of you! I was wondering…could you spare a minute and come by my office?" Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's voice came from it. Instantly Anakin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Uh…sure…sir," he replied.

Padmé looked at him questioningly. He shrugged back, as if to say _I have no idea either_.

"Wonderful! Should I arrange for a transport to pick you up at the Temple?"

"Uh, no – that won't be necessary. I can make my way to the Senate building."

"Oh, all right then. When can I expect you?"

Anakin looked to Padmé, his eyes dancing. Nothing remained of the pain from a few minutes ago.

"I'll send him right on his way, Chancellor," she told him, daring Anakin to think anything different.

"Padmé? Padmé Amidala, is that you?" The Chancellor sounded surprised to hear them together. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything…"

"Uh, hardly at all, Chancellor. I'll be right on my way. Skywalker out." Anakin shut the comlink off, glaring at Padmé. She smiled.

"What was that all about? You want the whole Senate to know about us?" Anakin teased.

"I thought you didn't care."

Anakin shook his head. "I give up. It's pointless to argue with you."

She only smiled at him. He moved past her, heading towards the door to leave. "Anakin…"

"What?" he turned around to face her.

"I love you."

"I love you too." He darted back over to Padmé, giving her a kiss. "I have to go – the Chancellor's waiting…and if the Temple…"

"Get going, you," she said, giving him a slight nudge. He smiled again, that genuine smile she loved.

Without further ado, he slipped out the door. For a minute, she stared at the spot where he had stood. She could almost sense something still lingering in the room of his presence. Closing her eyes, she tried to keep the image of that last smile on his face. It had been so long, several months, since she saw that genuine flash of happiness.

* * *

Having arrived at the Senate building, Anakin made his way through the twisting hallways. Busy Senators bustled about him, and a few he recognized. For the most part, he did not care much for politicians but he assumed there were worse types to consort with.

As he made his way to Palpatine's chambers, he passed one Senator he had heard of – Bail Organa from Alderaan. Padmé had mentioned how Alderaan was a reliable friend and ally of Naboo, as both the planets pushed peaceful legislation.

As much as he knew Bail Organa, he also was aware that the Alderaanian senator knew him, and of his friendship of sorts with Palpatine. When Anakin walked by, the voices in the Senators office fell quiet and a few heads turned to watch him go past. Anakin, not sure of how to acknowledge such attention, merely nodded his head in recognition at them. After all, there was no use upsetting some of the most prominent members of Palpatine's government.

At Palpatine's chambers, Anakin had no time to knock before the door opened.

"Anakin! I'm so glad to see you! When we heard that you took off, we were so worried about you!"

Anakin flushed, the Chancellor was fussing over him like a kindly old uncle or grandfather would over his favorite young relative.

"Well, come in, come in!" the Chancellor added.

"Thank you, sir," Anakin mumbled. He made his way into the red room, and caught a glimpse of the Redcoats standing at attention behind him. A slight chill went down his back and he made himself ignore it.

"Please, Anakin. You don't have to be so formal with me. I'm just a politician, no different from any other man."

If at all possible, Anakin went even redder. "Yes…alright," he replied, catching himself and leaving the "Sir" off the end. "So what did you want to see me for?"

"Ah…yes," Palpatine said. He smiled, hoping that would make the young man feel a little more comfortable. Already once, Anakin had almost found out his secret. Only by feeling at ease could he gain Anakin's trust.

"I hope that Queen Amidala is doing well?"

That made Anakin shift in his seat, and instantly Palpatine could tell he was trying to hide something.

_He has feelings for her. I should have known. How interesting_. _I wonder what the Jedi would say if they knew…_

Mentally, Palpatine smiled to himself. This was useful information. Say all you want about the Force, there was nothing that could match a good politician's skill at reading people and their emotions. As of yet, though, there proved to be no reason to blackmail young Skywalker. Experience taught Palpatine to not make the mistake of letting small details such as this slip his memory. There was always a time and place that such information could come in handy.

"Oh, yes. She's doing quite well. I think she wants to go back to Naboo, though. She misses it quite a lot – she feels she should be with her people."

Palpatine sighed, glancing down at the floor. "And there you have the exact reason our people love her. She's always given thought to her duties first. Unfortunately, I cannot let her return to Naboo until we are entirely sure that the government is stable. For now, we're just going to leave one of the provincial governors in charge."

Anakin nodded, and Palpatine could tell he was thinking this over.

"What did you think of conditions while you were on Naboo?" the Chancellor prodded. He wanted to see what Anakin thought about the new system Palpatine put in place for handling systems that came back under Republic rule.

"I…I don't really know. I'm not much of a politician," Anakin replied, smiling a little. He tried to joke, "I guess that's why I'm a Jedi instead."

Palpatine let out a chuckle. "And a fine Jedi you are, Anakin. One of the best the Order has seen for many, many years. I think you have the chance to bring about the change the Order needs."

As he spoke, Palpatine paid close attention to Anakin. Deep inside, he could see the boy's mind churning.

"What do you mean?" he asked tentatively.

_Ah, so the boy is smart after all. He wants to know more, but he's trying not to seem obvious_.

"There's always later to talk about the Jedi. For now, I want to know about _you_."

For a second, Anakin did not reply. Then he swallowed.

"I just wanted to talk to you about your recent return, that's all," Palpatine explained. "I was quite worried about you, after I heard what happened."

"You know?"

"Of course. You think I wouldn't know what's going on with someone I helped to place under the protection of the Republic? And, unlike the Jedi, I am not interested in scolding you for your actions. I know you must have had some reason for them."

That made Anakin smile, and he relaxed quite a bit.

Well…" Anakin began. He eyed the Chancellor for a minute before continuing. "I really shouldn't have come back. The Masters are right."

"What do you mean?"

"I came back here…obviously this Sith Lord is after me and now I'm right in the middle of the rest of the Jedi. It's like a dream come true for a Sith."

"That might be true…but don't you think that a Sith Lord would know where the Jedi Temple is, regardless of whether or not you were there? It is, after all, the headquarters of his enemy."

"True…" Anakin trailed off. Palpatine could see he was thinking this over. "I hadn't thought about it from that angle. And I guess the Council didn't either."

"They got mad at you, didn't they?"

"Mad…that's an understatement," Anakin admitted through gritted teeth.

Palpatine gave him an understanding smile. This was the side of Anakin he needed to see – this was the strength that gave him his power. This Anakin was the kind that would be of the most use to him.

"I don't understand why they would be angry with you for thinking on your own. You did what you thought was best, they can't blame you for that."

At those words, Anakin seemed to brighten. Finally, someone gave him the validation he had needed ever since he returned.

"And that is one of the first things I would change about the Jedi. The Council sits in the top of the Temple, dictating to you what you should be, allowing no room for you to be who you are, and getting angry with you for being exactly that."

"But…they do some good…they make important choices, they keep the Order focused, they keep it where it should be," Anakin meekly defended.

"Anakin…do you really believe that?"

_That_ made Anakin squirm. Obviously the young man did not believe for a second the words coming out of his mouth.

"It's alright. I understand how you feel with the Jedi. They have often frustrated me with their ways when I have had to deal with them, as you know, including recent events such as Kashyyyk and Kuat."

Once more, glimmer of unease came from Anakin. The older man knew something had happened during the battle, something that had upset Anakin very much, but he did not know the details. He was going to find out, sooner or later.

However, Anakin did not take the bait. He kept his mouth shut and did not comment on Kashyyyk. There was time, though. Secrets did not stay hidden from Darth Sidious.

"All your life they've told you that you are the Chosen One. Yet do they give you any guidance on what this means?"

"I…I don't know what to say."

"That's because they don't know, Anakin. They've lost sight of the meaning of the Prophecy they're putting so much faith in."

Anakin nodded. "Wait. How do you know so much about Jedi lore? I thought you said you were just an old politician," he finally countered.

Sidious had to smile. It was a good point.

"Never mind me, Anakin. You do have a habit of trying to change the subject. I think it's good that you are finally talking about the things that are on your mind."

"Yeah," Anakin muttered, realizing he had no choice to but to play along. "I guess it is."

"You are a powerful Jedi – you alone can take the Order in the direction it needs to go. The important question you should be asking is: does balancing the Force satisfy what it means to you to be a Jedi?"

As he watched, Anakin put his hand to his chin, just like Master Kenobi did when deep in thought. Sidious smiled mentally to himself. Like master, like apprentice.

"I…" Anakin trailed off. His foot moved, as if he was going to shift in his seat, but the rest of him stayed still.

Reaching out through the Force, Sidious could feel the confusion twisting up inside the young man. It rested in the corner of his mind, gnawing away at the very foundation of the things he believed in. Under that, fear of losing everything he held dear ate away at his heart.

Yes, Anakin Skywalker was more unstable than he himself even knew. Just a few more appropriately laid traps and Anakin would be his. The Jedi would not even know what hit them.

"They don't trust you, which is a pity. They don't want to teach you things that you should learn – that you have the right to learn."

"What do you know about that?" Anakin snapped to attention, remembering the words the Chancellor told him those long months ago. Now it seemed he was offering Anakin the same thing again.

"I know a lot of things about a lot of things, Anakin. After all, I am the Supreme Chancellor…as I said earlier."

"What should I do?"

"Only you can decide that Anakin. I can only offer you advice…and tell you what I would do."

"So what would you do?" he pressed.

Sidious took a deep breath before answering. This was the very doorway he needed to get to Anakin for good.

"If I were in your place, I would try to press the Council to teach me the things I needed to know. If they did not comply, I would take…more drastic action. I can tell you that I would have left the Order a long time ago, if I had to deal with half of the things you have had to. The Jedi have to learn that they are _not_ omniscient, as they would like to think. They do make mistakes."

"You don't like the Jedi do you?" Anakin asked. Sidious tried to get a reading of the Jedi's intent, but Anakin was too well hidden inside himself.

He thought for a second before answering. Delicately he replied, "I'm not sure about one of two of them."

Anakin nodded, a slight grimace on his face, not sure exactly what the Chancellor meant by that. However, he certainly hoped that he was one of the Jedi that the Chancellor did like.

"I have…contemplated leaving," Anakin muttered. "I just can't take it anymore. But there's so much here on Coruscant…."

Sidious knew he was talking about Padmé.

"I don't have anywhere else to go," Anakin said. "I'm stuck. And…I don't think it's the right time for me to leave. I am still a Jedi. Nothing can change that."

Getting up from his seat, and going back to his desk, Sidious thought to himself, _Perhaps. And perhaps not_.

"Very well, Anakin. The Jedi are truly lucky to have a person such as yourself on their side. You will go down in their Archives, for sure." Sidious gave him a smile.

The young Jedi nodded, and stood up.

"Thanks for your advice, Chancellor," Anakin said, dropping into a slight bow.

"Anakin…what did I tell you about formality?" he responded, a twinkle in his eye.

"Er, right." Anakin shot back up straight. "Thank you again."

"It was nothing. Anything to help a friend."

Sidious came from behind his desk to walk Anakin out of the office, and as they made their way to the front door both of them walked perfectly in step with the other.

Just before he left, he patted Anakin on the shoulder a couple times. "Don't worry too much. Things will work out; that's what you believe, isn't it? And, remember, if you ever need anything I still owe you a favor."

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

To Hopeless4Life and Laura-chan: You'll just have to see what happens with the pregnancy - but it's all planned out already, and with this chapter, there's a bit more about it! ;-) As always, thank you to everyone who leaves a comment. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story!

6

As he promised Padmé, Anakin stayed at the Temple for the next week. He made no attempt to leave, spending his time in meditation or exercises with various Masters. There were two people he missed most: Padmé, and though he was hesitant to admit it, Obi-Wan.

For the moment, he stood across from Barriss Offee. Her lightsaber was still out, humming and casting a bright green glow on the room. Only seconds before, Anakin had turned his off. She smiled at him, and the green blade dissipated.

"Very well fought," she commented.

"Thanks," Anakin said humbly. "You did well yourself. Well enough that it was a draw."

"A draw." She raised her eyebrows at him. "So that's how you call it?"

There was a slight tease to her tone, and Anakin flushed. Barriss was a Jedi of few words, but when she spoke they were well placed.

"I've seen you fight better. Much better. What's eating at you?" Barriss continued as she clipped her lightsaber to her belt. Concern showed through her voice.

"How are _you_ doing?" Anakin turned the question on her. "I wasn't the one to loose a Master a few weeks ago."

Barriss sighed, looking down at the ground. "Yes, but you also lost a friend. Everyone knew that you and Master Halcyon understood something about the other better than any other Jedi."

Anakin nodded, wishing he could tell Barriss what exactly made him and Nejaa Halcyon able to be friends. He knew though, that as soon as he told her she would go straight to the Council. Despite being a friend, she felt that rules plaid a higher order for a reason.

"We've all been losing too many people close to us," Anakin commented. He glanced out the window, towards the direction of Padmé's apartment. He prayed he would never have to loose her.

"And we have to let them go. That's all we can do."

"Is it?" Anakin looked at her, daring to challenge the dogma of the Jedi.

"You know we have to. Forming attachments places them above others. Jedi are not supposed to have more concern for other beings at the expense of others. The Jedi are to be selfless, by forming attachments we loose that selflessness. We commit ourselves to one other being, submersing ourselves in passion."

She finished and Anakin could not believe how much her words sounded exactly like the ones that Obi-Wan told him so long ago, after he had returned from trying to rescue his mother. The answer came as a surprise to him, usually Barriss had reasoning of her own, relying on her own beliefs rather than merely reciting verbatim the Jedi Code.

_All your life you've been told you're the Chosen One…the Cuncil doesn't let you just be who you are… I can tell you I would have left the Order a long time ago…_

Palpatine's words came back to him in a rush. Anakin glanced at Barriss, wondering if she ever had any doubts about her role, her identity as a Jedi.

"Did you ever think about…just going away?" he asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you ever just get so flustered with everything that you just decided to leave? Take off and go away to some faraway planet, where you could just be the Jedi you want to be, without having to deal with all the mess of the Council?"

Barriss studied him for a second, forming her response. "Honestly…no, I never have. This is where I belong. The things that I do as a Jedi are what I am supposed to do in my life. Call it destiny, call it the will of the Force, but whatever it is, I serve it. I do what I am bidden to do. Why?"

Anakin shook his head.

"You're still frustrated with the Council, aren't you?"

The look Anakin gave her was enough of an answer for her.

"I wish I could help you…I don't know what to tell you, Anakin. But I know that you can't leave."

"Why not?"

"Because…you're…you're…the Chosen One. Where will the Jedi be, if you leave?"

Anakin shifted on his feet. _"You're the Chosen One"_ was the best thing she could come up with at a time like this?

Before him, she crossed her arms. Her eyes were narrow, studying him. "Anakin…what's going on?"

In response he shook his head, staring down at the floor and closing his eyes after a second. "Nothing," was his stoic answer.

Knowing this was a lie, she stood her ground patiently. "You're in trouble, Anakin. I can tell. What have you gotten yourself into? What is it?"

Slowly, he turned to look at her. "I don't know. I wish I knew. It's all just a garbled mess. I'm pulled in a thousand directions. Everyone expects me to save them, save the Jedi, save the Republic. I just want a day to go by where someone doesn't expect me to save something."

"No one's expecting you to do anything."

Anakin glared at her then said, "If that's so then why did you just call me the Chosen One?"

Barriss faltered, realizing her mistake. "I didn't mean–."

"I used to tell people that I wasn't a slave – that I'm a person. Well, here it is: I'm not the Chosen One. I'm just _Anakin Skywalker_."

Finally, the words he longed to say to every Jedi, every person in the Temple that ever referred to him solely as the Chosen One came out.

"Anakin…if you are the Chosen One, then you are the Chosen One. The only thing we have to go off is some old prophecy. No one really understands what it means. It might not even be you. The only thing you can do is be yourself, and if you are the Chosen One, then you will fulfill the prophecy."

Those words made him think. However, she wasn't done.

"Remember when you won the Boonta Eve? I wasn't there…but I've heard the stories. I know you gave a lot of hope to people that day – it was all over the Holonet that a human boy won the race.

"That's what you are to the Jedi…it's not that people expect something out of you, but believing in something such as the Chosen One, that you might be it, gives them faith that things will be set right again. And where would we be without hope for the future?"

The words tossed around Anakin's mind. Barriss had a point, and a very good one at that.

"I thought Jedi were not supposed to have hope – that it was an emotion that led to passion," Anakin said, a slight, devious smile on his face.

"And you're back to being difficult," Barriss replied, rolling her eyes.

"According to the Council, I'm never anything but."

Barriss gave him a warning look.

"I don't know…" Anakin trailed off. "Sometimes I just want to get out of here for awhile…just to have a few moments' peace. Somewhere…quiet and beautiful."

With that, he turned to leave the practice room. Barriss remained in her spot, trying to figure out what Anakin just told her. As the door was closing, he turned back to her, saying, "And thanks for the practice."

Out in the corridor, Anakin paused, not sure of where to go. Then an idea came to him…he had not been out there in a few days. Thinking of it put a smile on his face.

Halfway to the first turbolift, he started to feel odd. His head felt light, and his stomach was slightly queasy. He sniffed the air.

Smoke.

Black. Thick. Acrid.

Anakin whirled around, looking for the source.

There, at the end of the hallway, flames danced up the walls. Anakin blinked, trying to make the image go away. In response, the smoke only made his eyes burn. The flames crept closer to him, and he stepped back. As he did so, they came closer and closer, threatening to incinerate the hem of his robes.

Trying not to panic, Anakin gathered his robes around him, so that they did not trail on the floor. The heat was beginning to become unbearable. He had to alert the Masters –

No.

This was just another vision. He knew it. The Temple was not burning down. The Temple could not burn down. Whether he was around or not, the Jedi would never let that happen. They just _couldn't_.

Anakin took another step back as something began to take shape in the smoke. On top of the acidic smoke burning his lungs, the stench of death reached his nostrils. He knew that if he looked down he would see the bodies of fallen Jedi around him.

Standing at the end of the corridor was a cloaked figure, completely encased in black. A hood, or mask, perhaps, covered its face. Raising a hand, it pointed at Anakin. Flames danced around it – no, _over_ it – but it seemed not to mind.

A strangled laugh came from the figure, and Anakin backed away again. However, the vision did not get further away from him.

It got closer.

"Anakin…" the figure spoke. Anakin stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that voice. It was then that he noticed the person at the figure's feet.

Obi-Wan.

The Master was simply lying there, and Anakin needed no second glance to know that he was dead.

Anakin swallowed; his panic barely under control.

"Your destiny…Anakin Skywalker…"

There was something about that voice…

"You cannot run away from your destiny…"

_Darth Sidious – no, Palpatine – no, HIMSELF – _

Anakin let out a bloodcurdling scream and fell to the floor in slow motion. Even before he hit the ground, he was no longer conscious.

* * *

"Anakin?" a male voice asked him.

Fighting to gain his senses, Anakin tried to open his eyes.

"Anakin?" a second voice asked.

He opened his eyes, struggling to see in the soft light of a Coruscant sunset.

"Anakin?" a third voice asked him. That voice made him turn abruptly, his vision clearing instantly.

Standing around him were the three people closest to him. Obi-Wan, Barriss, and…Padmé. They were all crowded around his small bed, in a scene that at any other time would have been hilarious. Padmé's large dress took up almost the whole side of the bed where she stood. She smiled at him gently, but said nothing.

"What happened? Where…?" Anakin croaked, his throat parched.

"You collapsed in the hallway after our practice duel," Barriss informed him. "You let out such a scream that half the Temple came running. It sounded like you were being ripped into pieces."

As Anakin watched, Padmé sent her a slight glare as the mention of his likeness and 'being ripped to pieces' were used in the same sentence. However, she quickly regained control of her feelings and said nothing. Obi-Wan didn't notice the glance. Closing his eyes, Anakin sank back into the pillow.

"Well, I've got some kind of record here…this is the second time in a month I've passed out."

Padmé couldn't help herself any more, and so she reached down and gave his hand a tiny, but reassuring squeeze. Ever so slightly, not wanting Obi-Wan to notice, he returned it. Obi-Wan did catch the gesture but he said nothing.

"What happened, Anakin? Did you have a vision?" Obi-Wan asked gently.

Mentally, Anakin formulated some sarcastic retort, but thought better of it. He only nodded in return, not expanding on the idea. How could he explain it when he couldn't even stand to remember it?

And there was something else, something vitally important that he realized just before he passed out – what was it, he couldn't remember…

"Why are you all here?" he managed to ask.

"Barriss heard your scream and came to see what happened to you. Right away she alerted me. And as for Padmé…she just showed up, demanding to know if you were alright."

"I'm no worse than I've been before," Anakin said. He rolled onto his side then sat up. "I just – blast–"

He put his arm out to steady himself. Closing his eyes again, he sank into the Force. Using it to steady himself, Anakin got up and walked past all three of them, out of the medical wing of the Temple. In the next room, a medical droid tried to convince Anakin to stay, to no avail.

None of them said anything, only exchanging glances.

Finally, Padmé turned to leave after him, but caught a glance from Obi-Wan. She knew he was surprised at her actions, that she was taking such a risk with her condition around all the Jedi. However, she did not change her course. Instead, she looked steadily back at him, challenging him to stop her. When he didn't, she went on her way.

Reaching out to her daughter, Padmé brought up the Force as much as she could. Trusting her intuition, she headed off in the direction where she believed Anakin's quarters to be. Fortunately she did not get lost, though she did get quite a few curious glances from some Jedi that she passed. She shot them all harsh looks, daring them to say anything.

After just a few minutes, she reached what she believed to be Anakin's room. Gently, she knocked. When there was no reply, she reached out to the control panel. Her hand hovering over it, she suddenly knew what his passcode was. Sure enough, the door opened for her.

"Anakin?" she called out softly. In the room, she could see he was on his sleeping cot, facing the wall. With a groan, he rolled over.

"What…?"

"It's me."

"Padmé?" He opened his eyes, surprised. "What are you still doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright." She stepped into the room, the large dress rustling about her feet.

Anakin eyed the large gown skeptically.

"That dress is even bigger than the last one you were wearing," he commented.

She let out a small laugh, not replying to his words. "Are you alright?" She sat down next to him.

"You shouldn't be here."

Padmé gave him a reproachful look. He was in one of his difficult moods. "I'm here so there's nothing you can do about it."

"What about us?"

"Since when did you start worrying about it?"

"Since you started showing up at the Temple."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Is that a crime that you have to arrest me for?"

In her voice, Anakin could read the pain from his indifference.

"I'm sorry, Padmé…" Without further thought, he leaned over and pulled her close. "I'll be alright. How'd you know something happened to me?"

She shrugged. "I just had a feeling."

"A feeling, huh?"

She nodded.

Anakin looked at her, thinking hard. "Are you sure you weren't supposed to be a Jedi?"

"I'm sure," she told him with a smile. In her mind she thought how only three members of their family were supposed to be Jedi – Anakin and the twins.

"What?" Anakin asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"You were thinking something about only a few of us being Jedi."

The look on her face showed that she clearly thought he was insane. "I think you had a harder fall than you're letting on."

Anakin sighed. He leaned forward, putting his head in his hands.

_I would have left the Order a long time ago…_

"I should be going," Padmé told him softly, gently rubbing his back. She started to stand up.

"I'm going with you."

"What?"

"I have to get out of here. I can't stand it anymore. I just have to get away for awhile…just a little bit."

"Anakin…what's going on?"

He did not answer her, though. Instead, he made sure his lightsaber was clipped to his belt and pulled his hood over his head. Now, more than ever, did the Chancellor's words make sense. At the doorway he stepped aside so she could pass by him.

As she went by, he muttered, "I just need to be away from here for awhile. I need to be with you."

His words made her falter, and she smiled at him.

"Follow me." He turned down the opposite way of the corridor, leading her out through another part of the Temple.

Within a few minutes, they were outside the Temple and standing in front of Padmé's speeder. She looked to him in surprise. "How'd…?"

He smiled at her. "Should I fly, or will you?"

"You can, if you want."

Anakin's smile broke into a wide grin. He hopped into the speeder, and after she was safely inside, he started the engine and took off. After a few detours, all of them quite unnecessary, they arrived at Padmé's apartment.

As they entered her place, Anakin could not help but notice that she seemed slightly annoyed with him. She brushed past him in a huff, one of her hands carefully placed on her stomach. When she walked past him, Anakin did a double take.

She was larger – _fatter_. There was no way that the dress, large as it was, could account for the sudden increase in the size of her stomach.

_Is she _pregnant! Anakin thought to himself. Instantly he shrugged the thought off, she would tell him something as important as that. There was no way that Padmé would keep a secret like that from him. After all, she loved him…

It had to be the dress. It just had to be. That or his eyes were playing tricks on him, the past couple months proved his increasing tendency to have visions and see things that were not reality. Shoving the thought out of his mind, Anakin made his way into the apartment after Padmé.

Standing in the middle of the main sitting room, he looked around nervously. Nothing seemed out of place; the only notable thing was that R2-D2 rested by the doorway, the newest addition to the apartment. Something put him on edge, something about being here, though. Focusing on the Force, Anakin could almost sense someone else here.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Anakin forced himself to stop thinking such things. The whole point of him coming here was to get away from his troubles for just a minute, not to add more of them.

"Are you alright?" Padmé asked, coming up behind him. She put her hand on his shoulder, giving him a slight squeeze.

"Yeah," nodded Anakin, "yeah." The words came out quietly, almost barely audible.

Padmé smiled at him, and Anakin could not help but smile back at her. She was so beautiful. Looking at her face did wonders for his heart.

"I think I'll be okay. I just need to be with you for awhile."

"Alright. As long as you're happy. That's all I care about."

Anakin said nothing in return; instead he gently engulfed her in a hug. He held her close for a few seconds, willing everything away.

"I missed you so much," he breathed.

"We've only been apart for a week!"

"No…it's been forever. Every minute without you is forever. I just want to stay here with you, like this, forever. I don't want anything to change – _ever_."

"Surely you don't mean that," said Padmé, pulling away from him. She rested her hands on his hips as she looked up at him. "You can't keep things from changing, Annie."

"What?" Anakin's eyebrows furrowed.

"Huh?"

"'Annie.' You just called me Annie."

_And said something to the exact word that my mother told me._

"Oh." Her face adopted a thoughtful look. "I guess I did, didn't I? I haven't done that in a long time."

"Nope. Not since…we first met, back on Tatooine."

"Should I not call you that?"

A sad look passed over Anakin's face. He was unsure about how he felt about her calling him 'Annie', since that was the nickname his mother used with him. Somehow, someone else calling him by it tarnished his memory of her. By using the nickname she gave him, it made her usage of it seem less special. Anakin wanted to keep the few things that were specific to his mother that way – it was the last attachment he had to her.

His eventual response, "Whatever you want, love," was really no answer at all. Padmé faked a halfhearted smile. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest.

After a moment, he tilted her head up and gave her a kiss. Speaking softly, he muttered to her, "See, things are so nice now why should we ever change them?"

As he watched, something passed through her eyes.

_She's hiding something. I know it. _Reaching out with the Force, trying to get some guidance, everything felt normal in the apartment.

Almost.

There was someone else here.

Ever so faintly in the background, like a lurking ghost, Anakin could sense the presence of someone else. Padmé was not the only who spent most of her time here. This other person practically lived here with her. His eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out who the person was.

"Anakin…are you alright?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"What?" It was her turn to be caught unawares.

"There's…" Anakin trailed off, stepping away from her. He crossed his arms across his chest, glancing around her apartment suspiciously. Once more he tried to get a reading from the Force of who was spending so much time with Padmé, but there was no answer. It was as if he was trying to track down a phantom, but even phantoms could be discovered.

Sighing, Anakin struggled to fight down his rising frustration. This was Padmé. She loved him. She promised him that she did. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Not sure of what else to do, not wanting to return to her arms, he sat down on the couch and leaned forward, putting his head in his hands.

When Padmé came and sat next to him, he did not move. Hesitantly, she reached out and put an arm around him. Again she asked, "Anakin I know something's wrong. Don't shut me out. I only want to help you."

He looked at her, and she started when her eyes met his. His eyes…they were red and puffy. They looked so raw that it was almost painful. Sharply she inhaled, drawing away from him a little.

"There's someone else here. They've been here. They spend a lot of time here," he said flatly. He tried to keep the accusation down in his voice, but he could tell his words stung her.

"Anakin – I – I have no idea what you're talking about! The only people here are me and R2!" Padmé stammered.

At those words, sensing that it might be in trouble, R2 rolled away from his spot by the door and into Padmé's bedroom.

The stuttering in her response told him all he needed to know. Instantly he felt his body tense, the well of anger getting a firmer grip on him. Just by watching her, he knew that he would not get more of an explanation from her. One of the things that irked him about her was that she could be very stubborn when she chose to be.

"Never mind," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Just never mind."

"Never mind? Anakin, what in the world do you expect me to do? You come back here with me, smiling, and within two minutes you're angry! Don't think I can't tell!"

He looked down at his hands, not knowing what to say. He didn't need the Force to feel the anger coming from her. She was right about one thing: coming here was starting to feel more and more like a mistake.

Suddenly, she leaned up next to him and put her head on his should, one arm around his waist.

"Don't." Anakin moved away from her. "Just don't. Let me be."

"Fine. If that's how you're going to be," she snarled, getting off the couch.

"Shouldn't I be telling you that?" he shot back at her. As soon as he said the words he regretted them, not knowing what he even meant.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You're hiding something from me! And I'm getting sick of it!"

Anakin stood up, facing her.

In the back of his mind, something recognized the ridiculousness of this scene, how their roles were reversed. However, right now he could only feel the frustration running through him. For the moment, he did not care that most of it was because of the Jedi, not because of anything that Padmé had done. He stepped over to Padmé, realizing for the first time how much he towered over her. She wavered before him ever so slightly before adopting her stoic pose.

"The only who has been hiding anything is you," Padmé said so steadily that it made Anakin stop. She went on:

"Obi-Wan has come here, asking me things about you. I have to make excuses for you, and he just wants to help you! You won't talk to anyone else, and you won't hardly talk to me anymore!"

Padmé's voice broke as she said the last part, sounding almost like she was on the verge of tears. Anakin took a deep breath to steady himself. The sound of her voice cracking so almost made his heart split, but he forced himself to maintain his composure.

Perhaps, at that moment, he might have had a change of heart. He might have forgotten his irritation with her, he might have said to her that he was sorry, so sorry, and tell her everything. But the words that she said next ruined any chance of that.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Anakin. Things are changing, and I'm worried about you. If you don't do something, I _will_ go to Obi-Wan."

Those words hit Anakin so hard that he stepped back. He felt as though he had been trampled by a bantha running at full speed. The wind was knocked out of his lungs. She would go to Obi-Wan – tell him everything – how dare she –

Looking at her, Anakin could no longer see the woman he loved. All he could make of her was that she was now against him. Somehow, in the past few months, the past few days even, she stopped being on his side. He hadn't even noticed it happening. Panicked, he searched the past few weeks for some clue, but there was nothing to be found. The only conclusion that he could reach was that she never had been on his side.

"You wouldn't dare," Anakin hissed.

"Don't think I wouldn't do something for your own good!"

"And what would you know about that!"

"A lot more than you seem to!" she yelled at him.

The anger rolled off her in waves, hitting Anakin full force. Unable to control himself anymore, her anger boosted his, red rising in his vision.

"Deceitful woman!" Anakin scowled under his breath. "I should have known better than to trust you!"

Padmé stared at him, not saying anything. Blinded by his anger, Anakin could not make out her feelings or intentions any more.

"Don't you dare make this about me, Anakin Skywalker! This is about you!"

"Oh? And how is that?" he pointed his finger accusatorily at her.

"This has to do with your anger, and you know it! You lost control of yourself, and you're so afraid of what the Jedi will say that you can't talk to them anymore!"

"I can't talk to you either! I know you want to go back to Naboo – I know you want to do it so you can get rid of me and go be with this other person – this – this – whoever he is!" Anakin bellowed.

"You've known all along that I plan to go back to Naboo. Don't even try to pretend that you didn't know."

Padmé gave him such a glare that if looks could kill, Anakin would have been dead before his Jedi senses could warn him of danger.

Furious, but not knowing what to say, Anakin paced the room for a couple steps. In the back of his mind, he knew she was right. He knew from the night he met her at the Temple that she wanted to go back to her people. Right now, though, he would not listen to reason. The darkness inside him goaded him on, urging him to give into his anger – to use it –

With only one thing on his mind, the need to destroy this threat, he stepped over to Padmé.

"Don't you dare leave me." The words came out thickly, dripping with menace.

"I'll do what I have to do. I'm willing to hurt you Anakin, for your own good. I don't want to, but I will," Padmé stood up to him.

"Only because you don't support me. You never have." Anakin stopped, taking a second to look at her.

_She lied. She never loved you. If she did, she never would have done this to you. You never should have trusted her_, the dark voice whispered in the back of his mind.

"You – never – loved – me," he said so harshly that the words came out one by one. He found himself reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder, as he did so often. Only this time, he started to squeeze. "You lied to me. You have been all along."

His grip on her shoulder increased. Padmé's jaw clenched, determined to not let him see her pain.

"Anakin…I…don't…" she gasped, taking hold of his arm and trying to pull his hand off her shoulder. He only increased his grip. Pain shot through her shoulder. She felt the baby, the one she drew her strength from, kick.

"Yes…I know why Jedi do not love…because love leaves you with nothing. I never had anything from you – I never will. You gave me nothing. You never will." Anakin spoke with such clarity that he spooked even himself. "You left me…all alone."

He continued to hold his gaze on her. Feeling a last surge of anger, he gave her shoulder one final hard squeeze.

Padmé winced, her eyes watering as she fought to stay in control of herself.

Anakin felt something snap inside him. This was all wrong. He was doing it again – his anger was controlling him. And now, he had let it hurt the person he cared about most. This was more dangerous than any Sith Lord. He was the only one who was a danger to Padmé. He saw Padmé in a new light, as if she were the one that could ruin him. Instantly he knew he had to leave.

But there was nowhere for him to go.

She was right. He was all alone.

Everything crashing down around him, Anakin suddenly took his hand off her, and without a word he left the apartment. Riding the turbolift back to the exit level, thoughts went through his head so fast he could not keep track of them.

One thing he was positive about.

This was the doing of the Jedi.

The Jedi knew about his feelings for Padmé, they had managed to sabotage him. They simply could not tell him to stay away from her, but they had to find the way to do the most damage to their relationship.

The Jedi used their greatest weapon: they turned the two lovers on each other. And Anakin would be damned if he would let them get away with it.

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

To everyone that has read this and left comments, thank you very much! Enjoy chapter 7. :)

7

Obi-Wan Kenobi paced his quarters, thinking. Usually he was very calm, pacing not a habit of his. Tonight was a very odd night and through the whole he evening a very unsettled feeling gnawed at the back of his mind. Thoughts ran around his brain so fast that it felt like he was going insane.

First, there was Anakin. Obi-Wan was deeply worried about his former Padawan, his best friend, his brother. The more he heard about the younger Jedi's actions, the more concerned he became. Every attempt to reach out to Anakin resulted in Anakin closing himself off further.

Second, there was the Supreme Chancellor. What a royal mess _that _was getting to be. According to Bail Organa, Palpatine was pushing legislation through the Senate to give himself direct control over the Jedi. Never, in the history of the Republic, had the office of Supreme Chancellor ruled the Jedi. Add in Anakin's odd relationship with the politician, and the situation became such a jumble that it made Obi-Wan's head hurt.

Third, there was Darth Sidious. Obi-Wan had no idea where to even begin with that can of worms.

He didn't know what to do. Feeling too old for his age, Obi-Wan sighed. Already he had seen too much fighting, death and destruction for his own good. Suddenly, something spiked in the Force.

Anakin.

Obi-Wan wondered where they boy had got to, all evening he had been looking for him, wanting to talk to him about his vision. Barriss Offee had no answers, saying that Anakin told her nothing. Now that he was here, Obi-Wan decided to confront him. He slipped out of his quarters, heading in the direction where Anakin was.

In one of the main cavernous rooms of the Temple, one that served as one of the many entrances, Obi-Wan stopped. He knew Anakin was here somewhere.

"OBI-WAN!" Anakin roared.

Obi-Wan turned around, completely caught off guard. He whirled around to see Anakin standing behind him. More than Anakin's yell startled him, though, for the full brunt of Anakin's anger hit him through the Force.

_This cannot be good_…Obi-Wan thought to himself.

* * *

"OBI-WAN!" Anakin roared upon seeing the back of his Master. With his words, he watched as Obi-Wan turned around to face him. His Master was surprised to see him.

"Anakin? Where have you–"

Anakin gave him no time to finish. "YOU KNOW WHAT SHE'S HIDING FROM ME! YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HER ALL ALONG!"

"What in the blazes are you talking about?"

Anakin took a deep breath, setting his jaw so tightly that the nerves protested with a sharp stab of pain. How dare Obi-Wan play the part of the ignorant nerf herder at a time like this. He knew what Anakin was talking about. He _knew_.

"You turned her against me!"

"Are you talking about Padmé?" Obi-Wan asked him incredulously.

"You know who I'm talking about!" Anakin began to pace in front of Obi-Wan, standing straight with his narrowed eyes always on Obi-Wan. "You know what you did."

"Anakin, I haven't done a thing. I've only tried to help you."

"You're lying to me!"

"Anakin…" he warned.

"You've always lied to me!" Anakin felt his voice crack; tears welled up in his eyes. For all of his life, he dreamed of nothing more than becoming a Jedi after him and his mother gained their freedom.

And when he finally was accepted for training, he always dreamed of coming back to rescue his mother, showing her what a great Jedi he had become…

But the Jedi took that away from him. One by one, they always managed to strip away his dreams.

"You all have lied to me!" Anakin yelled so that it echoed through the whole room. Other Jedi began to notice the escalating confrontation and stopped to see what was going on.

"You all lied to me!" he repeated. "You couldn't let me be, you couldn't realize that I was different! You could never understand how I felt – you could never understand how I had _attachments_ to other people!"

"Anakin, that's because Jedi are NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE ATTACHMENTS," Obi-Wan shouted back.

"You only wanted me to be miserable, Obi-Wan! You wanted me to be all alone!"

"Anakin, listen to yourself!"

Anakin, however, would not listen. He stopped pacing, standing just a few inches from Obi-Wan. Anger ran through his veins so hot that he felt like he was burning, his vision was even blurring.

"No, you listen," he countered, jabbing a finger at Obi-Wan. "You drove away everyone that I ever cared about! Because of you, I'm alone!"

"If you're alone, you are only because of yourself!"

The words were true, and Anakin knew it. That did not make hearing the truth any easier for him. He lunged at Obi-Wan, wanting nothing more than to wrap his hands around his Master's throat and _squeeze_…

Obi-Wan was faster. As blind as Anakin's anger made him, Obi-Wan had enough control over himself to still feel the Force clearly. Just before Anakin dove for him, he ducked down and spun away from the younger Jedi.

"I've only ever tried to help you become the Jedi you wanted to be, Anakin," he said softly, standing straight again.

"You failed."

"No, it was only you who failed."

Anakin snarled, his fury having completely taken over him. Without another thought he brought his lightsaber to his hand.

"Palpatine is right," he growled.

* * *

Mace Windu jolted out of his meditation. Something was seriously wrong in the Temple. Cautious, he surveyed his room with a single glance.

There was nothing in here.

For a second, he pondered on where the sense could have come from then suddenly he was hit full force with a blast of hatred.

Someone was attacking a Master. Here, in the Temple.

Instantly, Mace jumped out of his seat and darted out of his room as fast as he could. His lightsaber swung as he did so, hitting his hip.

* * *

Yoda stood on one of the many balconies in the Temple, watching Coruscant. Thousands, millions, of lights flickered all over the planet. Humans and aliens alike hurried past the Temple in their speeders, rushing about their lives.

Yoda shook his head, thinking that all beings in the galaxy needed to slow down. Such rapid activity led to problems like the Clone Wars. In their rush to do everything, beings forgot the main purpose of life – just to live.

As he watched the cityscape, a different kind of urgency came to Yoda. Something had gone seriously wrong with young Skywalker. The wizened Master could feel him here in the Temple, leeching anger throughout the place with an intensity that the Jedi had never seen before.

Letting out a small sigh of resignation, Yoda left the balcony, leaving the people of Coruscant to bustle about their lives.

Anakin and Obi-Wan stood in the middle of the huge, open entryway. Huge columns of Alderaanian marble surrounded them. In front of Anakin, behind Obi-Wan, at the other end of the room a large bronze statue stood. Garbed in traditional Jedi robes, the figure held a folder of documents – those founding the Order – and its other hand was raised to the heavens, as if asking for wisdom to be bestowed upon all who entered the Temple.

Scattered throughout the immediate area, on balconies overlooking the floor and on the floor itself, Jedi stood frozen in place. They watched the unfolding drama in horror.

The Chosen One was turning on his own Master. Obi-Wan and Anakin, the two inseparable Jedi, looked ready to strike each other down. At Anakin's words after taking his lightsaber in hand every Jedi that heard him was pondering: _Palpatine? What does he have to do with this? _

Before Anakin, or Obi-Wan, could make another move Mace and Yoda arrived.

Mace needed no second looks, no more revelations to get an understanding of what was going on. Without a second thought he dashed to Anakin, grabbing the young Jedi from behind.

"What?" Anakin exclaimed, startled by the appearance of Mace. He let out a grunt as Mace wrapped his arms around him, and he struggled.

"Let me go! What are you doing!" he shouted.

Mace was out of his mind, there was no way that he could hold him back. With all his might, Anakin fought to break the hold Mace had on him.

Tugging on the arm that was across his chest, Anakin glanced over to Obi-Wan. To his mild surprise, his Master was being restrained by Yoda.

Anakin gave one more pull on Mace's arm, and when that failed he tried to twist his other hand up so that he could do some damage by igniting his lightsaber. For him, it was not so much about getting revenge on Obi-Wan but about releasing himself from Mace – it was rather embarrassing to be in this position in front of so many Jedi.

Mace, however, sensed Anakin's movement before he even began. With one hand, he wrenched Anakin's arm so that his hand popped open and he dropped the lightsaber. Anakin let out a gasp of pain, yet did not make an attempt to call his weapon back to him.

Risking another look at Obi-Wan, he saw that his Master was now standing free, with Yoda at his feet.

This was intolerable.

How dare they treat him like this.

Shooting Obi-Wan a look of pure hatred, Anakin's pulse raced. He was more than a mere Padawan, he was more than a slave – he was a person, they could not just make him bend to their wishes, they did not have a transmitter in him that they could use to blow him up if he roamed too far –

Anakin gasped for air, even though the hold Mace had on him allowed for plenty of breathing room. He couldn't breathe. Something was clouding the air, it made his lungs burn, and his eyes…

Choking, Anakin realized that it was smoke…

Not again…no…not now, he couldn't handle another now…

Out of terror he struggled against Mace one more time. The Master tightened his grip with the Force, and he was unable to move.

Flames began sprouting in the room, dancing around all the Jedi…why didn't they flee…they would die…no, they were already dead…

Anakin tried to scream, but there was no air in his lungs to scream with. He had to get away from Mace, he had to run away. Didn't Mace realize that by holding Anakin here he was going to kill him?

_The Jedi have always been against you…_

_I would have left the Order a long time ago_…

The figure rose out of the flames, that hideous black figure…his hand raised, his finger pointed straight at Anakin.

Fear gripped Anakin completely. Never before in his life had he been so frightened. He went completely limp. Mace, completely caught off guard by this, let go of Anakin. The young Jedi collapsed to the ground.

Everything was so wrong. It was all Anakin's fault – Obi-Wan and Padmé were right. They were all in danger.

Gasping, Anakin could not take his eyes off the figure. He no longer saw any of the other Jedi around him, the only thing he could see was the figure in black surrounded by flames. Frozen in place, he couldn't think.

"Anakin Skywalker…" it spoke.

"No…no…" Anakin muttered, shaking his head. "No…"

"I have already won…you cannot escape your destiny…"

Anakin let out a wail. From a place deep inside himself, he found strength he did not know he had. He scuttled away, not even bothering to stand up. Mace made no attempt to stop him as he grabbed his lightsaber.

Suddenly the vision vanished. The entryway returned to its usual splendor.

Anakin stared at everyone in surprise. No one said a word.

"I…I have to go…I can't stay here…I made a great mistake…" Anakin gasped, getting to his feet. "I can't stay here…I can't ever come back…"

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called after him. "Anakin, wait!"

The only words he got for an answer were, "I can't come back…I don't know if I can ever come back…"

In the Temple hangar bay, Anakin hopped into his modified starfighter. For a second he sat in the cockpit, completely numb. He wondered where he was going to go…

Just then, the words he said earlier that day, at a moment that seemed a lifetime ago, came back to him. It was the perfect place for him to retreat to. Strapping himself in, he punched in the coordinates to the navicomp and darted off before the landing pad had fully extended from the Temple.

As soon as he cleared Coruscant's atmosphere, the setting sun casting an unearthly glare on the planet, Anakin punched his starfighter into hyperspace. Settling into his seat, he let himself sink into the Force as much as he dared, with the ship's navigation systems set to alert him when he arrived at Stalynia.

In no time at all, it seemed, the computer began beeping at him. Coming out of his trance instantly, Anakin piloted the fighter into the planet's atmosphere, guiding it down close to the surface. Blue oceans sprawled out before Anakin. To his right, he could see the vast plains of the continent. To his right, there was nothing but water.

So much water. It was amazing to him. Oceans, or any vast bodies of water, fascinated him ever since he first saw them on his earliest travels with Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan.

The recollection of his old master put a scowl on his face. Guiding the light starfighter down, Anakin began to see settlements along the coast. Usually, he might have asked his R4 unit to scan for details on them, but the Force told him where to go. There was a perfect spot, a good distance from any settlement that was close to the coast and a little inland at the same time. Here he would be safe from any seastorms.

Anakin landed the small craft, and leaned back in his seat for a second. Gathering his thoughts, he popped the hatch and hopped out.

The freshest, sweetest air he ever breathed met his lungs. Unlike the air on Tatooine it was not dry and coarse as if the very air itself had sand in it. Unlike the air on Coruscant, it lacked the constant mechanical and filtered quality that made it just barely tolerable. And as for the air in the starfighter, there was simply no comparison.

Reaching out with the Force, he could sense no beings coming near him. Anakin knew that the planet had a population of sentient beings. However, they did not take part in the Republic, choosing instead to keep to their lone planet and live their simple lives.

As far as Anakin knew, the Menslechen, the humanoid species that inhabited Menslech spoke only a vague form of Basic, their name for the planet meaning something along the lines of "pure and beautiful".

Walking around for a few steps, Anakin surveyed the immediate territory. Chirping noises came from the tall grasses, they rustled around him as he moved. Instantly he knew they were full of many species of insects. That thought put a slight frown on his face. Quickly he erased it; insects were a problem that could easily be overcome.

Other than the potential bother of the insects, this place seemed quite perfect. It was quiet, it was peaceful…and no one would think to track him here. For a few days, maybe longer he didn't know, he could stay here and rest.

Suddenly, something flashed through the Force. Instantly, Anakin whipped out his lightsaber, whirling around to face the enemy.

However nothing was there. Only the chirping of the grass insects met his senses. Shrewdly he glanced around the area again, seeing nothing he had not spotted before. Anakin knew he was being watched though. He kept his lightsaber ignited for a few more seconds, then shut it off and clipped it to his belt.

He turned, looking out to the ocean. Whatever it was would be dealt with. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to disturb him out here.

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you to everyone who continues to read this story and leave reviews!

8

"Master Yoda, I…" Obi-Wan said, leaning forward and putting his head in his hands. He sighed heavily and dared not look at the small green Master.

Yoda said nothing, sitting patiently next to the younger Jedi. Instead, he looked to Mace, who gave the slightest shrug of his shoulders.

None of them had answers. There were no answers to be had. Only one fact was obvious:

The Chosen One was gone.

Anakin Skywalker was the Twenty-First now. Something had eaten away at him; there was nothing the Jedi could do to help him. And the Jedi should be able to do anything, should be able to help anyone.

At least that was what the galaxy believed. Sometimes, Mace Windu almost believed it himself, when he saw and heard about all the miraculous things the Jedi accomplished.

However, when one fell…Mace forced himself to ignore the shiver that went down his spine. There was only one option – there was always only one option. Mace just hoped it would not come to that.

"Troubled, your former apprentice is. Heavy does it rest on us all that he felt he must leave," Yoda commented, breaking Mace's train of thought.

Obi-Wan made a noise that sounded akin to a cross between a strangled moan and a snort of disdain. Ignoring it, Yoda went continued.

"Find him, we must…before…"

Even Yoda was afraid of what happened to rogue Jedi. With Anakin, possibly the one Jedi that could become stronger than Yoda, he had reason to be fearful.

"Master Yoda, I don't even know where to begin. I have no idea where he's gone. I can't even…get a sense of him."

This surprised both of the other Masters. Within the Temple, it was well known that Obi-Wan and Anakin were so close it was a rumor with the younger Padawans that they were telepathic. Just a little extra concentration could link a Master with an apprentice, even a former one.

Personally, Mace found it a little amazing that the two Jedi were so close, given the hesitant circumstances that Anakin came under Obi-Wan's wing. No matter though. That was the past. Those things were done and over with. There was the here and the now to focus on.

"I have to find him. I have to bring him back. I'm the only one he'll listen to, I'm the only one who can reason with him," Obi-Wan suddenly spoke up, his voice solid with resolve.

"Obi-Wan…we need you here. There's too many other things going on, let one of the other Masters take care of him. You are…too personally involved with Anakin," Mace advised.

"Excuse me?" came the astounded reply. Obi-Wan stared at Mace, challenging him.

"Young Skywalker is too unbalanced. He is a danger to us – and most of all to you. Perhaps you do not recall the situation that occurred between the two of you nearly a week ago."

Obi-Wan's look only intensified. In a low voice, he growled, "And you believed he was the Chosen One."

He turned and left the Council chamber, saying nothing more. With his back turned to Mace and Yoda, Obi-Wan did not notice the cautious look they gave each other. Right now, he understood more and more why Anakin was fed up with the Council. Perhaps he needed some time away, too.

No.

That was not his path.

Stopping in his steps, Obi-Wan closed his eyes. With a couple deep breaths, he forced himself to calm down and quieted his mind. The Force flowed through him. Its very presence was refreshing, relaxing him. Still, he could not deny that this whole past week had an effect on him.

For thirteen years, Anakin had been his Padawan. For thirteen years, he traveled the galaxy with the boy, then the young man, at his side. As Anakin grew older, the sixteen years between them seemed to be less and less. Obi-Wan began to think of Anakin not merely as a young boy that he was training, but more of as a brother. With Jedi raised apart from their families, it was only natural that after protecting and looking after Anakin for so long he viewed him as a brother.

No matter what, Obi-Wan knew, he would always think of Anakin in this way; Anakin would always feel the same about Obi-Wan. And now the Council dared to tell him that he was too close to his Padawan.

Despite the Force, Obi-Wan still felt deeply upset. Taking a glance around him, he realized that he was in the same entryway where Anakin almost attacked him.

What could have driven Anakin to be so desperate?

No answers came to Obi-Wan. The Temple supposedly stood on the strongest vortex of the Force on Coruscant, and yet it offered no insight. Thinking hard, he knew there had to be answers somewhere. Something had to drive Anakin away, making the Lost Twenty into the Lost Twenty-One.

The Lost Twenty…they all had needs that the Jedi could not fulfill.

That was it.

Perhaps the answers lay not within the Temple, but outside it.

A slight nudge from the Force solidified Obi-Wan's decision and so without second thought he made his way to the hangar bay. There he hopped into a speeder and flew away, heading for the one person that surely missed Anakin as much as he, and perhaps might have a few answers.

Within a short time, Obi-Wan stood inside Padmé's apartment. She bustled about the kitchen, fetching him a refreshing drink. Upon seeing her enormous dress, Obi-Wan's eyebrows went up but he said nothing. He was not exactly sure how long Padmé had been pregnant, he only had a good idea, and it was surprising how much the dress still managed to hide her increasing stomach. Plus, even though he expected it, it felt weird to sense only one being when he knew there were three others in the room.

"So what can I do for you, Obi-Wan?" Padmé said pleasantly, sitting down next to him. Something in her voice sounded false, overly sweet, and she handed him a cup.

Politely, Obi-Wan took a sip. It tasted of a very sweet fruit juice, but he could not place it; perhaps it was something native to Naboo.

"I was wondering if you've seen or heard from Anakin lately," he said carefully.

Instinctively, Padmé's hand went to her stomach. She swallowed before answering. "No...No, I haven't. Why?"

The few seconds of silence, as Obi-Wan thought over his response, put her more on edge.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?"

"I just want to know if you've seen him."

"What's going on?" asked Padmé bluntly. "What happened to him?"

"I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but…" Obi-Wan trailed off, mentally cursing the fact that it seemed he was always the one to bring bad news.

"What?" She looked concernedly at him. "Just tell me! I have the right to know."

Obi-Wan glanced her over. She was right. How could he deny her the knowledge of what was happening to the father of the children she carried? If nothing else, she deserved to know because she was one of the few people that truly knew Anakin.

"I have no idea where he is. I haven't seen him for over nearly a week. I thought you might have heard from him, or know where he is."

"I was hoping you could tell me where he is," she said, turning to look at the floor, seeming as if her last hope had failed her. Her next words came out softly, like a heavy admission of defeat. "I haven't heard from him either."

Suddenly a faint glimmer of insight came to Obi-Wan. Something happened between Anakin and Padmé; Anakin came back to the Temple accusing him of doing something with Padmé. He must have just returned from seeing her that night.

Deciding that it was a good time for the plain truth, and in the hopes that Padmé would open up if he were honest with her Obi-Wan said, "I know he was with you the night that he left."

"He left? Just what do you mean by that?" she cut in accusatorily.

"I have no intention of turning him in to the Council. There are worse things we have to worry about right now than the relationship you two have," Obi-Wan reassured her. Relief passed over Padmé's face. However, Obi-Wan's next words quickly erased it.

"You should know that when he got back to the Temple he was very upset. I don't know what was wrong with him; he was accusing me of turning you against him. I've only ever tried to help you both – you know this."

She said nothing, letting him explain the events of later that day. A small voice in the back of her mind echoed Anakin's words about the Jedi, how they were all against him. Obi-Wan was not an enemy where Padmé was concerned, but her many years as Queen taught her to hear all sides of a story – even the side of a potential, if unlikely, enemy.

"Anakin and I had a fight that night," Obi-Wan continued, "and during it, he fled. He suddenly became very afraid of something, more afraid than I've ever seen him. Without any explanation he left the Temple, saying that he could never return."

"Are you saying that he's left the Order?" She leaned forward in her seat, obviously on edge. For a second Obi-Wan thought he sensed anger at Anakin coming from her, as if he had done something she expressly told him _not_ to do.

_That's Anakin for you. Not listening to advice about what he should or should not do…_he thought.

"Unfortunately, I think he has. Jedi usually do not leave the Temple…in the way that he did. It's a sign that something's very wrong."

"'It's a sign that something's wrong'! It took you that long to figure out that something was wrong?" she accused him. A noise came from her throat that sounded like she was holding in some very strong and colorful words. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Obi-Wan said simply. He really had no idea.

The Jedi were stretched too thin.

Chasing after a rogue Jedi determined to leave the Order was something they could not spend time on, with the current situation of the galaxy. On the other hand, the consequences of not reigning in someone as unstable as Anakin could be…disastrous.

"Well this just keeps getting better and better," she spat out. "I can't believe you're not going to do anything!"

Obi-Wan just held her gaze, at a complete loss for words. For a few seconds they stared at each other then she got up. Turning her back to Obi-Wan, she walked halfway across the room when she glanced slightly over her shoulder.

"He just wanted to be happy," she whispered. "It's all I wanted – just for him to be happy."

Without another word, she walked into her bedroom, shutting the door softly behind her. Too add insult to injury, a reprimanding whine came from R2-D2, who was in his post by the door. Obi-Wan jumped at the droid's bleeping.

"Great, now droids are mad at me too…" he cursed to himself, glancing back at the door to Padmé's bedroom.

He did not need the Force to know that she was very upset, she was crying just beyond him in the other room. Feeling that he had accomplished nothing, perhaps that he even made the situation worse, he left the small apartment.

* * *

Padmé Amidala stared out her window. Her hands frayed a loose part of her tunic. Today she opted for the comfortable clothes she had, not planning on any Jedi coming to visit. Or anyone else stopping by, for that matter.

Right now, she was alone on Coruscant.

Well, not completely alone. She always had two others with her now.

Inside her, she felt one of the twins kick, upsetting its sibling, who kicked in return. The response between the two tiny fetuses made Padmé smile. She wondered how much of their reactions to each other was the Force, as opposed to the development of their own senses. Her intuition told her it was the Force. After all, they were the children of Anakin Skywalker.

As her body changed, and she could feel the growth of the babies, it still amazed her to think that Anakin had children. That _she_ was a mother. She knew nothing of how to be a mother, she was raised to be a leader, her knowledge was all about the political systems of Naboo, and the Republic. She knew how to be proper, yet still retain her own strength. Wryly, Padmé thought that it would be perfectly ironic if her daughter turned out to be the exact opposite of herself.

Motherhood…there was so much to do. There was so much to worry about – whether she was raising them the right wiay, that they were happy. She could see them growing up together, bright and smiling –

And then she realized that she probably would not be seeing them grow up. At least under her care.

They were the children of Anakin Skywalker.

There was no way, here on Coruscant, that they would escape detection of the Jedi. No, she would watch from afar as they grew up, becoming Jedi. Padmé would be a mother only for the time that she carried them, having almost just enough time to name them before they would be whisked away for a life at the Temple.

This thought made her notice that so far she had not even thought about what to name them. And what of their surname? Having them carry their father's name would only complicate the situation – if that were even possible.

Perhaps she could give one of them their father's name, and the other hers. That was no good though. The Jedi would still figure it out and expel Anakin.

Then again, maybe it didn't matter.

Only a couple days ago had Obi-Wan told her that Anakin as well as withdrew himself from the Order. In that case, yes, one of the children would carry the name of Skywalker. Without further hesitation, Padmé knew that it would be the boy. No matter how bad things got in the galaxy, there would always be a Skywalker to bring hope to it.

Now to just figure out the first names to call them. Whatever she chose, they had to be just right. After all, they had large shoes to fill, coming after Anakin. Wishing that Anakin were here, to help her and to share this life-changing event, Padmé swallowed and forced herself to maintain her composure. She glanced up, wondering if Anakin could see any of the stars that she did, and wondering whether he might be on a planet belonging to one of the many small points of light she could see.

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Apologies to everyone for being so long in updating - I was gone for the weekend, and had no internet. Anyways, here's two new chapters to make up for it. And, as always, thank you to everyone who reads this story and continues to comment! May the Force be with you:)

End of an Era

The Clone Wars have raged across the galaxy for several years now. A punctuated series of periods of violence and death, earning the name of plural wars, have left many planets scarred and many gone forever.

The start of it all was unexpected, and those meant to protect the Republic balked at the thought of having to fight a war for it. In time the Jedi gave in, and as the wars dragged on, they did so many times. Darkness grew around them, shrouding their foresight. More and more the future became fogged, and the people they protected turned against them.

Arms twisted into leading the newly created Army of the Republic, Jedi found themselves losing battles on front after front. The Cloners always seemed to know their plans, no attack could come as a surprise, not once did the Jedi outnumber their enemy. There were even times where battles were lost because of insubordination to the Jedi by Republican civilians and military personnel alike.

One by one, freedoms were lost to combat the threat of the Separatists. Civilians were forced to make way for Republic troops, taxes were raised to pay for the new army. Ill words against the government were frowned upon – those criticizing Palpatine, and his Senate, were labeled as traitorous separatists.

The Jedi tried all they could to stop these changes, but even their powers were limited. After all, they have no representation in the Senate. They serve nothing; hold no power to anyone but the Force. According to the dictates of their strict Code, they were not allowed to take political sides.

With their hands tied, they could only watch as Palpatine gained more power, coming to understand what the cheering Senate could not: that there was no Senate, that the only thing keeping him from being dictator was the fact that no one had declared him as such yet. They could only watch as the Republic they served fell to pieces around them, torn apart by war. They could only watch as the people they served turned against them.

Times were dangerous if you were a Jedi.

Darkness surrounded everything, hunting you and those you knew.

The last hope, the Chosen One, had simply _vanished_. No one had seen or heard from Anakin Skywalker for a month. Only rumors are heard about what might have happened to him; he could even be dead now that Jedi are starting to disappear in the outskirts of the Republic.

The Senate even voted to pull you out of the war, citing that you were useless and that the war should be left to those trained to fight it. On top of that, you now answer directly to Palpatine, never mind the purpose of the Council, since you are too dangerous and not to be trusted with the safety of those living under the Republic.

With all the changes, all the sudden surprises, it seemed as if there could be nothing left to deliver a shock. Everyone was numbed to the fighting, seeing no end. No one could remember clearly the days where the Holonet was not filled with death tolls from grievous battles.

But no one, not even the Jedi, expected it when the fighting stopped.

Suddenly, Palpatine recognized the Separatists. He acknowledged their government, if it could be called a government, and let them keep the systems they now controlled. Surprisingly, no one cared.

The fighting was over, and that was all that mattered.

The galaxy held its breath, waiting to see what life would bring on the other side of war. Surely it could be nothing worse.

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Dark New Order

9

Barriss Offee shook her head, standing in the wings of the Senate building. Since the time that her Master died, she had not ventured off Coruscant much. Sometimes she thought about leaving, perhaps sneaking off in the middle of the night when most of the Temple was at rest. Pulling…an Anakin Skywalker, as it came to be named, was not quite what she had in mind.

Anakin…she sighed. Crossing her arms, she wondered where he was. For a month she heard nothing from him. None of the Jedi heard anything from him – not even Obi-Wan, which was really surprising. Anakin and Obi-Wan were inseparable. One just did not exist without the other. To have the two of them parted…it only showed the strain of the times.

Clearing her mind, she turned her attention back to the proceedings at hand. No one liked Senate duty, much like breakfast duty, but she volunteered for it. She liked watching all the traditional procedures of the Senate, to think that it had governed the Republic for over a thousand years.

Not that the Republic hardly existed anymore.

Privately, Barriss felt that while the Republic existed in name, it did not exist in value anymore. However, she was not about to admit this to any living soul. She was a Jedi. Her biggest duty, behind serving the Force, was to protect the Republic.

Out in the center of the large room, Palpatine stood up, his aides next to him. He shifted in his robes, glancing around at all the Senators.

_His attire doesn't look too different from what we Jedi wear, _Barriss thought grimly. _Yet he seems to despise us so_.

The Supreme Chancellor cleared his throat and the room fell silent. Next to Barriss, Master Yoda and Master Windu stiffened. They accompanied her today because there was rumor of Palpatine making a large statement that would change everything.

"Senators of the Republic, I stand before you on this sad day. We have seen war come and go, tearing apart our wonderful Republic. We have striven to defeat the threat that came out of the dark.

"And yet, today it seems that all our efforts were in vain. We have had no other choice but to lay down our arms – making peace with the aggressors so that the death may end. By doing this, we have shown the upper hand – displaying how we believe in a culture of freedom based on a high system of morals and standards."

Barriss snorted. Some culture of freedom she lived in. Mace gave her a sideways glance, but said nothing.

"The question we must ask ourselves though is this: how long will it be before our new neighbor decides that the territory it has is not enough? We have already seen how the Separatists do not hold up their promises. Surely we are not too blind to believe that they will not attack again.

"And so, we must make changes. We must reorganize ourselves so that this disaster will never happen again. Only through a New Order, for a new age, can we protect ourselves from the threat that lies beyond our borders, and from those which lie within.

"Senators, I lay down your duties to the Republic. I ask you to serve in the name of the Galactic Empire, to bring about a new era of peace and stability in the galaxy."

All three Jedi exchanged looks. Out in the Senate chamber, cheers and clapping rang out in great volume. Standing in the middle of it all, Palpatine looked rather pleased with himself.

As Barriss watched, something passed across Mace Windu's face. He turned back to her and Yoda, muttering under his breath, "This has gone too far. It cannot stand for long."

He took one last look at Palpatine then walked silently out of the building, robes rustling around him.

* * *

The newly declared Emperor Palpatine glanced around the Senate chamber. Through the Force, he felt someone leaving…there…just over the representatives from Chandrila.

Jedi Master Mace Windu.

Based on the applause around him, Palpatine knew that the rest of the galaxy would take the new regime better than the Jedi. Given that they would not have much choice in the matter, when it came right down to it. At least these Senators knew their place in the New Order. Palpatine hoped to be rid of them as soon as possible, but first he would need complete control – and that included someone to be his second in command, someone to do his bidding.

Knowing exactly who that would be, Palpatine dispatched those disgusting Neimoidians that started this whole war. General San Hill soon rose to serve his purposes, after he shunted the Neimoidians to the backgournd. Regardless of the General's genius – winning the Kashyyyk system and breaking the back of the Kuati shipyards – Hill would not have suited his needs.

Palpatine now needed someone that would have no issues with taking care of the Jedi problem.

For, before he could rid himself of the useless Senate, Palpatine knew he had to abolish the Jedi Order.

And with ten thousand of the little lightsaber-wielding Force-mongers scampering all over his galaxy, it was a daunting task.

But it was nothing that the one he had his eye on could not handle. Just a few more nudges and Anakin Skywalker would fall prey to the trap that Palpatine had laid for him and the rest of the Jedi all these years.

Palpatine glanced over to where Mace was leaving for the briefest of seconds before continuing his speech. After the slight pause, allowing for the applause to dwindle, he went on:

"Friends, colleagues, I welcome you to the New Order. We shall live in a time of stability. We shall have peace. While those who have broken from our ranks claim that the Republic is weak, we shall show them that we are strong.

"Never again will tragedy befall this galaxy at the hands of so few, such an elite group. All Jedi activity is to be ceased – to first gain control of our systems, we must gain control of the group who tried to break us. As all Jedi fall under my control, they are hereby ordered to remain in the systems they occupy. If they are suspected of treason, any action against the New Order, they should be turned over to the Empire to be dealt with."

Once more applause rang out through the chamber. These people wanted to take action against the Jedi. They had no love for those who failed to protect them. They knew that Palpatine was the one who could do that now.

It was all so easy. Almost too easy.

"The Jedi were part of an old era – an era that failed. And so these first steps must be taken to wash away the last stain of that greatest failure."

With these final words, Palpatine gave a final nod. The Senate clapped louder than ever, knowing that the speech was over. He could not help but smile to himself. Yes, it was all too easy.

* * *

Over the next several days, the Jedi Temple went from a place of calm serenity to one of barely contained panic. Masters scuttled about, trying to act as if nothing were wrong around the Padawans and younglings. Older Jedi talked behind closed doors or in corners with hushed whispers. Sometimes, communications with a Jedi outside the Temple would cease, leaving them to never be heard from again.

Caught between what they knew they should do, and what they knew would happen if they made a move against the new Emperor – it was all to clear what the Empire did to Jedi that were 'handed over' – the Temple became a pressure cooker festering stress, anger, and most of all, fear.

Obi-Wan finished watching the latest from the Holonet News and turned his datapad off. The news report had obviously been cut and changed, to suit the media's liking. It centered on another failing, another show of how the Jedi were to blame for the catastrophe in the galaxy. According to the media, and Palpatine's spin machine, the Jedi were an evil, self-centered group focusing only on their own potential advances.

Mace Windu's words replayed in his head: "We're going there only to save the ones we lost, Chancellor."

That had been on the eve of the battle of Kashyyyk. Obi-Wan knew that Mace had not meant those words in the way they were presented. The Jedi had gone to Kashyyyk to recover those they sent there, of course, but what was left out of the news report was that they went because Kashyyyk was already under attack. They were bound by their allegiance to the Republic to protect the system.

There was no way that a Jedi Master, especially Mace Windu, would say such a selfish thing.

At least Obi-Wan hoped so. The clip seemed so convincing, so seamless. Obi-Wan knew it had to have been cut; edited so that it best fit the motives of the person behind it. Only someone bent on destroying the Jedi would do such a thing.

Obi-Wan sighed, wishing he knew what to do. Suddenly, he stepped over to the door to his quarters, deciding that he would go see Anakin about all this. The young man always had some interesting take on galactic events. In the least, it would take his mind off things.

Then he remembered that Anakin was not there. He had not seen Anakin for a month.

For a second Obi-Wan paused, his hand above the control panel for the door. Certainly someone would have some idea of what to do. Leaving the room, he went in search of Yoda and Mace. Surely Mace would have something to say about _this_.

In just a matter of minutes, Obi-Wan found them sitting up in the Council chamber. It seemed so odd, just the two of them surrounded by all the empty chairs of the Council. A few of the Masters were spread across the galaxy, and a couple, such as Eeth Koth and Ploo Koon, had not been heard from since Palpatine declared his Empire.

Coughing slightly to announce his presence, Obi-Wan stepped into the room. Upon hearing the sound, Mace and Yoda turned to him.

"Young Obi-Wan. What troubles your mind?" Yoda asked softly, in the peaceful manner that only he mastered. "Unexpected you are, mmm."

"Master, I do not wish to interrupt anything…I just was wondering…" Obi-Wan trailed off, upon seeing the look on Mace's face.

"If seen the latest news, we have," Yoda finished for him. Obi-Wan nodded.

"Unfortunately we have," Mace said gravely.

Silence hung over them for a few seconds.

"I know it's not true. I remember what you said then," Obi-Wan commented suddenly, looking to Mace. "It seems to be the product of someone bent on destroying the Jedi."

"Many enemies we have in this time," Yoda said, setting his hands on the top of each other and resting his chin on them.

"And I can't even go out there to find them," said Mace regretfully. He left his chair and moved next to one of the many windows in the Council chamber. "They'll tear me apart faster than a starved rancor, Jedi or not."

Obi- Wan did not need the Force to know that this newest development rested heavily on Mace. He could not imagine what he would do if he were caught in the same situation – to be blamed single-handedly for the state of things in the galaxy… It was more than he could comprehend.

The look on his face must have suggested some sort of ignorance, for Yoda spoke. "More attacks on families of Jedi there have been. Not alone is your brother, Obi-Wan."

"What?"

"Just as dangerous for them, if not more so, as it is for us," Yoda answered.

Instantly, Obi-Wan's thoughts went to Anakin…he wondered what was happening to him, out there all alone. He wondered if he had been forced to go into hiding – or worse, turned over to the Empire.

Obi-Wan forced himself to stop thinking about Anakin. The young Jedi had to look out for himself now; Obi-Wan did not even know if he had lived long enough to see this day come…

Padmé.

She came to Obi-Wan's mind almost instantaneously, as a note to Anakin.

"Masters…I know of someone, someone of a Jedi family that may be in very real danger."

Mace and Yoda stared at him, wondering who in the world he was talking about.

"We have to help her, she has to be protected – if something were to happen, it would be disastrous." Obi-Wan's mind raced, trying to think of where he could send Padmé, and trying to talk about her without giving away her identity at the same time.

"Of someone not related to you, you speak," Yoda commented with a squint of his eyes.

"Yes, but all the same – we have to do anything to protect those we can. We are still Jedi, are we not?"

Something about those words stirred Mace. He turned to face Obi-Wan with all of his body, his eyes revealing that he was thinking harder than ever.

"What is so important about her?"

Obi-Wan stood his ground, choosing his words carefully in his response to the dark-skinned Master. "I know her to be pregnant with the children of a Jedi. If she is found out, then it would be our fault. We know about her, we have to help her and her unborn children."

Mace stared at him. "Obi-Wan…I never…"

In return, Obi-Wan gaped at Mace, understanding the accusation in Mace's unfinished statement.

"Not yourself this is," Yoda interjected. Relief passed over Obi-Wan's face for a second, to be erased by Yoda's next words. "Of someone close to Anakin Skywalker you mean. It is his children you speak of."

Mace looked from Yoda to Obi-Wan and back to Yoda. Something in Yoda's words led Obi-Wan to believe that the small green Master knew about the affair before he said anything. It was not at all impossible for Yoda to have felt the presence of two children most assuredly strong in the Force, being as they were the offspring of the Chosen One.

Taking a second before he confirmed Yoda's statement, Obi-Wan reached out to the Force for some guidance. He had to assure himself that he was not betraying Anakin by doing what he was about to do. Searching, he found nothing. Saddened, knowing that the twins were all that remained of Anakin Skywalker; Obi-Wan opened his mouth to come clean with the Masters.

"It's true. She's carrying his children. I don't know how long she's been pregnant, but from what I understand Anakin doesn't know. Padmé's tried to hide it – from everyone, including Anakin."

Mace's jaw dropped slightly, and Yoda had a look showing that many things now made sense to him.

"Right you are. Kept safe they should be. Know about them our enemies must not, including our new Emperor."

"Where do you plan on sending them?" Mace questioned.

"That's the problem. I have no idea, there's no safe place in this galaxy anymore for a Jedi," Obi-Wan replied bitterly.

"Look to your friends you must, Obi-Wan," Yoda advised.

Obi-Wan thought this over for a second then an idea came to him. "I know, how about Alderaan?"

"Alderaan" Mace repeated. "Good friends of the Jedi Senator Organa has been. Furthermore, he does not have any…blatant…disagreements with Palpatine."

Yoda nodded in agreement. "To Alderaan she must go. Obi-Wan, contact the Senator you must first. His approval we must have."

"I understand," Obi-Wan said. With that, he bowed. He left the Council chamber, hoping he was doing the right thing.

At the very least, he knew that if he knew of the current situation, Anakin would have wanted Padmé safe. It was the one last thing that Obi-Wan could do for his old Padawan, his brother. After this…it was time to let go.

* * *

"Alderaan?" Padmé asked Obi-Wan incredulously. "What in the blazes am I supposed to go there for?"

She put her hands on her hips defiantly.

"I know you want to stay here, but please. I'm just trying to look out for your best interest," Obi-Wan tried to reason with her.

Her eyebrows rose skeptically.

"Surely you know that it is too dangerous for Jedi, even for their families. If anyone finds out that you're carrying Anakin's children…"

The look of defiance on her face dared him make a further issue of it.

Obi-Wan went on, despite her boldness. "Surely you do not want anything to happen to your children. Moving you to Alderaan is the safest thing for all three of you right now."

"You really think someone would try and harm them?" she asked, having gone a ghastly pale white.

"I cannot say that I know of any direct threat right now…but I won't say that it's impossible. If someone were to figure out that those were Anakin's children, they might try and take you to use as blackmail to the Jedi – or even Anakin himself. We still don't know who this other Sith Lord is. He's out there."

Padmé nodded, taking it all in. She sat down on the couch, her shoulder slumping forward slightly. Everything about her seemed resigned.

"What should I do?" she whispered, her haunted voice barely audible. To Obi-Wan, it was the worst thing he ever heard in his life.

"Go. Senator Organa has agreed to let you stay at his palace. And you won't be alone. A few Jedi have agreed to go with you, to protect all three of you."

With those words, she gave him a confused look. "Won't the presence of more Jedi make it all more suspicious?"

"Jedi? Did I say Jedi? I meant…your brother and longtime friend of the Senator, Ben."

The small joke brought a small smile to her face. "Well, I guess I can't refuse, can I?"

Obi-Wan smiled in return. "You should get your things, then."

"What?" She gaped at him. "You mean we're leaving _now_?"

"Yes," he nodded. Her eyes darted around the small apartment, and she let out a soft sigh.

"I suppose…" she let the thought hang, not bothering to complete it.

After a second she got up and went to her small bedroom.

There, she shut the door behind her, leaning against it. Inside the room, it was very bare as she did not have many possessions to fill it with. Almost all of the things, including the bed, had come from the Temple. Even thought Padmé lived here for only a short amount of time, she had come to regard it as home – the only place she had left.

Now it was time to leave again – still a refugee.

It seemed so odd. She was a Queen. Thirteen years ago she became the hero of her people. And now…she was just another commoner, forced to stay in hiding.

A strong kick from one of the twins made her grimace. Sometimes they almost hurt, and she could feel that they were not content. The fact that they were already stressed out, probably due to her worries about the state of the galaxy, concerned her. It was sad that they would be raised in such troubled times.

However, if what Obi-Wan said was true…

For now she had to trust his judgement. She did not trust herself – it was partly her fault that such a mess had been made of things.

Without further abandon, she gathered what she would need and left the room, going back to where Obi-Wan sat. He looked her over in surprise – she carried nothing. Only a small pendant hung from her neck, made from some kind of pale wood. For a second he thought he recognized it, but could not place where from. He shrugged it off. If it were important, he would recall it later. If not…then it was nothing to be missed.

The trip back to the Temple passed quietly, neither Padmé nor Obi-Wan saying much. In almost no time, Padmé could see that the Jedi had planned this quickly but thoroughly, three Jedi and one very pregnant woman were ushered onto a small skipper (off Temple grounds) and left Coruscant space.

From here to there they jumped through hyperspace, trading ships several times during the journey. After an excessive amount of time, they arrived on Alderaan. Having been shown to her quarters, Padmé laid down on the soft bed.

Closing her eyes, she tried to think back to Naboo. Being here reminded her so much of her true home. The climate was not too different, and there was something comforting about the elegant palace – dissimilar as it was from hers. Padmé Amidala was not one to relish the luxuries of wealth, but she could not help associating them to home.

The sound of her roommate entering made her roll over.

There stood Barriss Offee. Padmé tried her hardest not to scowl.

This was the woman whom Anakin had been with just before left. Padmé was no fool – instantly she recognized the Jedi from their one-time meeting. She had been there, looking over Anakin in the medical wing of the Temple.

It was her fault that Anakin left. After all she had been there, had seen that last thing that pushed him over the edge. Padmé knew it was not right to blame Barriss entirely, but she also knew something happened the last time the two Jedi had been together.

Barriss acted as if she did not notice the irritation at her presence, but merely stepped over to the window to gaze outside.

"Your thoughts rest on Anakin," she said calmly.

_And I thought being close to one Jedi was annoying, _Padmé thought to herself. "Yeah," she muttered in response. No matter how she tried, Padmé could not force herself to be downright rude.

"You were there that day," Barriss continued. The meaning was clear enough.

_So were you_, Padmé shot back mentally. She sat up, her stare saying as much. Barriss held her gaze, not wavering.

"I don't know where he is anymore than you do," Padmé finally voiced. "If I knew, I wouldn't be here."

"How'd you come to meet him?" the Jedi woman asked, genuinely curious.

"I was with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan when he was found on Tatooine," she answered simply. "And you?"

Understanding flooded Barriss's face. She paused a second before answering. "About three years ago – our Masters were sent on a mission together. He spoke of you even then."

Padmé flushed a deep crimson. "Just…what did he say?"

"Oh, nothing too incriminating. I don't even remember now what exactly it was, but something about this beautiful girl he knew once, a long time ago…" she trailed off. "Now I know who he was talking about."

Nodding, Padmé glanced down. Mulling this over, she bit her lower lip.

_Anakin_…

She missed him more than she knew was possible. If only she could go back, she could change things just enough so that he could be here with her instead of this – this _other woman_…

_Anakin loves you. He would never_.

The words offered her no comfort as she glanced Barriss over one more time. In her own way, the Jedi was beautiful. She carried an air of mystery about her, something that Anakin probably would find –

_Stop. You know he never did_.

Padmé knew it was true. But she needed to hear it from this other Jedi, to hear that she harbored no feelings for the one she loved…

"I never did," Barris said suddenly. It made Padmé jump slightly, she had been so absorbed in her thoughts she forgot the Jedi was still in the room.

"Excuse me?" Padmé asked, eyebrows raised.

"I never did. Anakin was never more than a friend to me, as Jedi do not form attachments."

Padmé held in a snort of disdain. Hearing those words, they sounded so stiff and cold, she could understand why Anakin got fed up with the Council telling them to him.

"Are you saying it was wrong for him to do what he did?" Padmé accused, not feeling that this Jedi deserved to hear Anakin's name.

"I do not judge. I knew that Anakin was doing things that perhaps the Masters would not condone, but it was not my place to decide whether they were good or bad. Anakin was…always different. Not many understood him."

Padmé nodded. Here was some sense. Before she could think anymore on it, Barriss spoke again.

"I know there were other Jedi like Anakin. There weren't many of them – but you could spot them in the Temple. They always resonated differently in the Force; you could tell they harbored something deeper in themselves."

"Did you ever know any of them?" Padmé thought back to what Anakin told her about what he felt through the Force because he loved her. It was something about being connected to it in a way he never heard the Jedi talk about.

"Personally? No. There were a few that hushed rumors spoke of…but Anakin was the only one I ever knew. And even still, I did not know until now. He never told me. I knew he had a secret though – the uncanny way he could sense the Force, the way it was part of him…"

This admission bolstered the opinion that Anakin voiced so long ago – that the Jedi were detached from the Force in this way. They had forgotten it, he said.

"_It's my job to bring it back to them_," he had told her.

"I don't know. There was a lot that troubled Anakin…and I always assumed that if he wasn't confiding in me, then he was getting advice from Obi-Wan, and if not Obi-Wan, then _someone_. I always knew there was someone outside the Order he was putting his faith in. And after I saw you that day…"

Padmé nodded, the meaning of the words clear. "Have you ever loved?"

Barriss shook her head no. "Never. Some Jedi do not fare well under the restriction of attachment. For me though…I have never had the desire for such things.

"I think we all have to do what we have to do. And I think Anakin did what he thought was best, what he had to do. Each one of us has a different destiny, and the Force pulls us towards that destiny. Whatever happens will happen, as it is the will of the Force."

Barriss stopped speaking, and glanced out the window again. She sighed. "I suppose we had better get ready for dinner. We're supposed to be dining with Bail Organa and his wife."

The mention of a meal brightened Padmé's thoughts. Until now she did not realize how hungry she was, and she knew that the two lives inside her would welcome the nourishment. Hopefully she would not make a fool of herself at the dinner table, she found herself succumbing to the most peculiar cravings as of late.

Getting off the bed, with a heave, she made her way to the ornate closet. Bail Organa promised that there would be sufficient necessities in the way of clothing and other such things upon their arrival, since they left on such short notice. Scanning the items, she found a beautiful blue gown that would serve the occasion very well.

"What are you going to wear?" Padmé called out to Barriss, much of her scorn for the other Jedi forgotten.

Barriss shrugged, motioning to her simple clothing. None of the Jedi had arrived in their traditional robes – deciding that it would be all too easy for an enemy to identify them as Jedi.

"That'll never do," Padmé advised, turning back to the closet. She pushed aside a large section of gowns that would never fit Barriss, as they were all maternity wear.

"What?" Barriss asked slightly surprised.

"We're having dinner with part of the Alderaanian royal family. It's going to be a formal affair. We've got to get you into something acceptable."

"Alright…" she trailed off, taking Padmé's word for it.

"Here."

Padmé pulled out a dark, midnight blue gown. It was made from the finest Hapan silk, and Barriss looked at it doubtfully. However, she came over and took the gown from Padmé's hands. She disappeared, going into the anteroom, and when she came back she was wearing the ornate thing.

"Much better," said Padmé approvingly.

Barriss gave her an awkward smile.

Dinner was a long affair. Trying to show the best hospitality for his new guests, Bail Organa's staff had been told to prepare the most elegant meal. In traditional Alderaanian fashion, five, not three, courses were served. Only the finest meats and foods were prepared. Never once did a scrap of the common nerf come onto the table. The most exotic drinks that Alderaan had to offer poured into the delicate crystal glasses from beautiful green glass bottles.

Padmé was surprised to see that only Bail Organa, his wife, and a very select few ministers in the Alderaanian governement attended dinner with them. Apparently, they wished to keep the presence of the refugees quiet. Despite the circumstances of their visit, she found herself completely at ease. Navigating her way through such tedious things as formal dinners was nothing for the Queen of Naboo. A part of her could almost pretend that this was just another diplomatic visit; another alliance was to be made this night…

"Bail and I have always wanted to have a child – especially a daughter," Breha Organa said, bringing Padmé sharply into reality. Her head snapped to attention, watching the Minister of Education closely. Next to her, Bail took her hand and gave it a slight squeeze.

"You're very lucky to have been blessed with a child," she continued.

Padmé could only stare.

"We've talked many times of adopting a child, and most of all a baby girl," Bail cut in, with a glance to his wife. She smiled ever so slightly. "We wish you the best of luck in raising your family."

Padmé forced herself to smile. One of her hands went to her stomach protectively. There was no way she would give up one of her children to be raised by strangers. To not be able to have them though – that was another horror she now found hard to contemplate.

After all, the twins were all that she had left of Anakin. She didn't even know if he was alive, and if he was, when, or if, she would see him again.

_He's alive. You know it. You'd know if he had died._

This time apart from him was proving to be the worst of her life. The death of her family nearly a year ago echoed hollowly in her mind. It seemed so far away, and the life she had before that seemed as if it belonged to someone else whom shared the name Padmé Amidala. Surely it had not been her that lived in the Theed Palace and governed a whole planet only when she was fourteen years old.

So much of her life had been taken up by Naboo and politics that she hardly knew how to live without them. She had no other place in the galaxy; she was displaced and lost, her one purpose having been violently stripped away from her.

Then…she met Anakin.

Well, met Anakin again, that is.

He was someone who understood her. He was just as lost as she was, just as confused. Together they found that they had more in common than they thought. They shared a fundamental bond on such a deep level that they could understand each other without having to try.

Oh, she was older than he, thus able to understand a few more things than him, but it didn't matter. It had been so startling to see the handsome young man that the little boy from Tatooine grew into – who could blame her for being attracted to him?

Now she sat here, far from home and far from Anakin. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that she would end up as a ward of the Jedi, let alone fall in love with one. Forget the idea of that Jedi being their most revered one. And forget that she would be a refugee pregnant with his children.

It almost seemed like too much. Part of her longed for the days of the Nabooian court – they seemed like such simpler times…

No.

Padmé knew that she would not trade the brief time she had with Anakin for anything. For now, all she could do was sit here, make it through this dinner, and carry with her the hope that someday she and Anakin would be reunited.

If not that, then father and children would be together at the Jedi Temple.

Someday.

It was all they had left.

But for now, there was only this moment.

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

As always, I appreciate all the comments and reviews left by those of you who are reading this story! Here's another chapter, I hope you continue to enjoy. And, a happy Thanksgiving to any readers that celebrate the holiday. : )

11

Anakin lost track of his time spent on Stalynia. A month had passed, perhaps more. He didn't know the conversion for Menslech days between standards days.

However, he didn't care.

On his first day, he met the local people. There were two groups: the Coastals, who settled nearest to him, then the Inlanders. As far as he could tell, they were the same species, speaking the same tongue – or near enough to the same tongue. The main difference between them was their livelihoods.

The Coastals were a fishing people, living from one generation to the next in the same village. The Inlanders traveled from place to place - chasing after the herds of large herbivores that lived on the massive continents of the planet. They regarded these creatures almost as gods, and conflict occurs between the two groups; the Coastals believe themselves to be above the Inlanders and their "animal worship". The Coastals ruthlessly slaughter any of these herds that come close to their villages, citing that the animals damage their settlements.

Aside from this, and the fact that both groups expected Anakin to solve their problems, he found Stalynia quite pleasant. On his first meeting with the Coastals, when their chieftan saw that he had slain one of the ghastly creatures that hunted the Inlander's herds, he told Anakin that he knew he would do great things for all the people of the planet.

"After all, we knew that there would come a day when someone from the stars would make everything as it was meant to be," he said – or rather, what Anakin understood him to say.

Anakin heard this, and instantly soured. He was sick of prophecies, thinking, _If I hear of another one, I think I might scream. I am not your golden boy._

Regardless, as there was not much else to do, and that by being a Jedi Anakin was bound to help those in need, he worked with both groups of people to help them. He was unsure of what exactly to do so that the Coastals and Inlanders would stop fighting each other incessantly.

One day, however, the negotiations reached an impasse between the two groups. Anakin wandered back to his small hut, an idea of how to work things out nagging at him. He understood the basic idea of what he was going to do, he even accomplished it before. He knew that what he was about to do would raise some eyebrows.

Not that he was not used to that.

Anakin knew he would probably have to force these people to agree to his terms. He reasoned to himself that with his plan, both of them would be better off, even though they were too ignorant and stubborn to see it. Why, when the wellbeing of both of these groups was protected - even enhanced - was mind control such a dangerous thing? Surely something that brings good to all cannot be purely evil.

In his makeshift hut, constructed with the help of the Coastals to survive the strong winds that blew in from the sea, he found a new way to meditate that allowed him to find the Force in a way he never thought possible. Once again, he was able to connect to the Force – completely with the Uniyfing Force. Here away from the Masters, he was able to explore it at length. It was the way that he did so that would have raised questions at the Temple.

The process involved him reflecting more on the self, rather than outside. Through looking _into_ himself, Anakin discovered, a Jedi could find a much stronger connection to the Force than by looking out beyond himself. At first, he was nervous about such methods, but then became unconcerned – the Force is the Force.

There is no dark.

There is no light.

As the Jedi preach, there is only the Force. By accessing it, by attuning himself to it, he was only doing what was natural. Using his innate strength, something he believed the Jedi feared, was only natural. It mattered not how Anakin got there, but only the end result.

And the end result would be the improvement in living for the Coastals and Inlanders.

Anakin believed, from a certain point of view, everything could be regarded as good or evil, based on the consequences from actions. After all, the Jedi pushed this idea in their teachings to make Padawans understand that there are two sides to any conflict and that true resolution can come only by understanding both of these sides.

Sometimes, at moments such as this, Anakin wished for the guidance of the Jedi, even for the aide of Obi-Wan. However, he knew that he could not go back to them or to Coruscant. He had to remain here – and do the work of a Jedi.

Anakin shook his head, breaking his concentration and coming out of his meditation. Outside, he could hear the chirping of the many insects that lived in the tall grasses surrounding his hut. Taking a deep breath, he allowed his senses to come to full alertness. His mind wandered back to early that evening.

This particular night had been quite interesting for Anakin as the Coastals invited him into their village for a grand feast. He was not sure about the whole reason behind the celebration, but from what he could gather, they had a rather remarkable day fishing day. Add in the fact that it was something along the lines of the middle of the season; the sun shining and being set for nearly exactly half of a local day had some impact on the tides and therefore on the fish. Regardless, the food was good even if creatures from underwater made Anakin a little hesitant.

During the feast, it was hard for Anakin to keep his focus on what was going on around him. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have found the whole affair fascinating, since he came from such a cultureless planet as Tatooine.

Tonight, there was a couple that...reminded him very much of Padmé and himself. At one point the whole group honored their union; Anakin believed he witnessed what passed for a wedding ceremony for these people.

After the feast was over, the village leader came over to him, noticing how much Anakin watched the young couple.

"Ghedi," he asked me, pronouncing 'Jedi' with a heavy 'G' sound, "you love someone very much. Is this not true?"

Anakin could only stare at the humanoid.

"You have the mark of one who has loved, and who has been loved," the slightly furred alien continued.

Anakin shifted on his feet, staring down at the ground. He was unsure of how to respond. No longer did he worry about being expelled from the Jedi – already he had done as much himself. This comment by the village leader sent his mind tumbling again.

Over and over all he could see in his mind was Padme's smiling face. How he wished she could be here. Just to be with her...she was the one thing that had kept him from completely coming undone while he was away from Coruscant for all that time. The thought of her...

Anakin glanced out across the square in the middle of the village where they stood. His gaze went straight ahead of him, to the side of the village where there were no houses or any other buildings. The sight of the vast ocean met his eyes, the dark skyline melting into the black water. Stars reflected from the sky off the surface of the water.

Padmé.

_All I want is you, my love. I just want to be with you, to have a life with you. Why couldn't you come away with me, why couldn't you let us have a life together? _

As he watched the ocean, Anakin's chest felt like it would crack open. He knew that he and Padmé could not be together, for now at least. Taking a glance around him, he knew that if she were to ever come here she would be very pleased. He always worked with her in mind, thinking of how she would be proud and approve of what he was doing for these people.

_Padmé_.

Anakin could not allow his thoughts to dwell on her. Thinking of her only made him feel more despair. The fact that she has not tried to contact him...lead him to thoughts too painful to bear.

Taking a deep breath, Anakin stared across the water once more. He could not bring himself to let her go, though. She was too much a part of him, after just a few short months. Forcing himself to not think about her was worse than recalling her; her smile, her touch, her caring…the idea of never allowing himself to feel that deep sense of love again left him emptier than when he dwelled on her.

No, he could not let her go. There was no other option. He would not allow himself to be left alone in the galaxy. And if he was…he did not know what the consequences would be.

_I love you Padmé, my dear Padmé. I will_ not _loose you_._ As long as the Jedi no longer interfere with us, I will make it so that we can be together…

* * *

_

"Master Yoda, we can't – she'll hate us–" Obi-Wan nearly shouted at the small blue hologram of the Jedi Master with the pointed ears.

"Obi-Wan! Think!" Mace admonished him. "Master Yoda is right. It's the only way."

"I'm telling you, this will not go over well!" Obi-Wan repeated fervently.

"Did you really think that they could stay here on Alderaan forever?"

"No, but–" he stammered, then clenched his jaw and let out something akin to a strangled growl. The few peaceful days spent on the beautiful planet had been enough to almost make him forget that the rest of the galaxy was in turmoil and under the rule of a hideous tyrant.

"Perhaps at first angry with us young Padmé will be, but see the importance of this decision she will," Yoda said calmly.

Obi-Wan resisted the temptation to say otherwise in a very colorful fashion.

_Sithspawn_, he cursed to himself. _Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse…_

"Where would we even take them?" Obi-Wan asked with strain. If there was nowhere safely send them then this might not have to be done. He might have just found the loophole out of this small mess.

Mace looked to Yoda, obviously they had not thought this far ahead. After a second the dark-skinned Master spoke.

"I leave you two to figure this out. I don't want to know where they are. The fewer that know, the better."

"Right Master Windu is. Discuss this you and I shall, young Obi-Wan."

Mentally Obi-Wan cursed again. Mace gave him a look then left the room.

"Master…do we have to send both of them away?"

Yoda took a deep breath before answering. "Mmm. What suggest you?"

"This might go better if…if we take only one. Let one of them stay. It seems so cruel."

A second of silence passed. Obi-Wan could tell Yoda was thinking this over with the gravest concern.

"Yes, keep one of them she should. Best for her it will be…and perhaps best for all."

"So…where should the other one go? Master, I can't just give it over in good conscience to someone who will not take care of it as best as possible."

"Right you are, Obi-Wan. A good Jedi you are – with a heart in the right place."

Obi-Wan blushed but said nothing. Normally he would have appreciated such praise from Yoda, but now he was more worried about other things.

"But worry not," Yoda advised. "Present itself, a solution will."

Obi-Wan sighed. "It has to be far away, somewhere where…"

The thought went unfinished. "That's it. No one would even think to look there – it's _perfect_…"

Yoda blinked wisely, a knowing smile on his face.

"And…my brother. He said that if I ever needed anything, in return for helping him and his wife, to just let him know. I don't know that he would do something this big, but it's worth a shot, it's the only shot we have."

"Settled then it is."

With that, Yoda disappeared.

Obi-Wan sat in the empty room for a second. Now he just had to break the news to Padmé. She would not like this one bit.

* * *

"You _what_?" Padmé exclaimed at him, almost shouting. Her face twisted into a nasty snarl, making her look like a vine tiger about to pounce. A slight hissing growl came from deep in her chest. 

Obi-Wan grimaced. After this, he wanted never again to deal with a pregnant woman.

Ever.

"Padmé, it's for the best. We can't have two children like that born to someone like you. If they're split up, at least one of them has a chance–"

The scowl intensified.

"You – will – not – take – away–"

She was interrupted by the door opening and Barriss entering the room. She and Obi-Wan both turned sharply.

"Am I interrupting something?" Barriss asked, noting the very angry look on Padmé's face.

"Do you know about this?" Padmé questioned.

"What?" Barriss looked to Obi-Wan. "Look, I'll just come back later…"

She slipped back out the door and shut it softly behind her. Padmé turned to Obi-Wan.

"I can't Obi-Wan. I can't let you take one of them away. You might as well kill me, rather than do it." She sat down on the ornate chair; the large white cushions were so soft that she almost disappeared into them.

"Padmé," he whispered, leaning down next to her so that he had to look up to meet her eyes, "I wish there was another way. I honestly do. I didn't ask for any of this."

"And you think I did?"

The question needed no further elaboration to make the point any clearer.

"No. I never thought that. Just understand that we are trying to make the best of the situation at hand…regardless of how much we may dislike it."

Padmé's glare made Obi-Wan feel almost sick. The words coming out of his mouth sounded stale and flat, he knew they offered her no comfort. To take away her children, before she even had the chance to know them…left Obi-Wan feeling so hollow. Doubts ran though his own mind, wondering just _how_ the Jedi took away the small babies from their families, to raise them at the Temple…

That was different.

The families gave them up willingly. They knew that the children would have better lives as Jedi – many of them came from dreadful places.

Plus, Padmé would have had to face the fact that she would not raise her children if the Jedi Order were not in such shambles. That in itself was a simple truth.

So, in reality, it was not much different than a normal Jedi…_acquisition_.

Despite this reasoning Obi-Wan could not calm the increasing feeling that this move was entirely wrong. Children belonged with their families, or in this case, what was left of it. Perhaps even one day Padmé could take them back to Naboo–

Who was he kidding?

That was just as likely as Emperor Palpatine stepping down, saying "Oh, oops sorry, here you can have the Republic back," or Yoda suddenly revealing that he was in fact the Sith Lord the Jedi were searching for.

Obi-Wan snorted at the thought. In return, Padmé narrowed her eyes at him.

"You can't do this, Obi-Wan. You just can't," she pleaded, her voice beginning to crack. Her hands clutched her stomach tightly.

"Will you tell me where you've taken him?"

Obi-Wan searched her face, thinking over how to answer. When it came to him, he found himself unable to speak. He shook his head.

A gasp of anguish escaped Padmé's throat. She leaned forward, and Obi-Wan moved aside, it looked as if she might be sick. After a second she put her hands on the side of her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

Through the Force, Obi-Wan could feel the fear and pain coming from her. Now that he was involved, it hit him harder than anything he'd felt in a long time. Suddenly he found himself speaking without realizing it.

"I'll watch over the child. When things settle down here…you won't hear from me anymore. I promise you, Padmé, as a last favor to you and Anakin, my brother, I'll look after the boy."

She stared at him, disbelieving his words.

"You would do that?" she gasped.

He nodded.

"Wait. What do you mean, 'when all this mess dies down?'" her voice changed, suddenly back on edge.

"What?"

"You wouldn't go right away? You sit there and say you want to help, but you're not helping! YOU'VE NEVER HELPED – NONE OF YOU JEDI HAVE!"

She leapt up from the chair so fast that she almost knocked Obi-Wan over. Deftly he ducked out of her way and stood up. Clenching and unclenching her hands into fists, she stepped over to the window and stared out it. Her breathing was ragged. Wanting to make things better, Obi-Wan started to walk up next to her.

She heard him coming up behind her and turned to look at him. Tears made lines down her cheeks and already her eyes were red.

"He just wanted your help, Obi-Wan. He never wanted any of this, neither of us did. No one understood him, what else did you expect him to do? He turned to the one person that did understand him…and he understood me…"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, trying to maintain control of the guilt that was building up inside him. Perhaps she was right in a way, but Obi-Wan forced himself to put it out of his mind for the time being. The hidden meaning behind her words, that Jedi could not be stopped from having personal attachments, opened up a whole host of new issues.

Sighing, Obi-Wan decided he was going to need a long break when all this was over.

"Padmé, none of us saw this coming. We didn't know that it was going to get this bad."

"Well you should have! He was always upset about something; he was always looking to make things better! For being a Jedi, you sure are blind!"

Looking at him, Padmé's jaw set, and Obi-Wan was unable to tell what she was thinking. All this had to be a great shock to her, and for a second, she winced. Her hand increased pressure on her stomach. The movement brought Obi-Wan's attention back to the fact that Anakin had children, and it just seemed so hard to think that _Anakin_, of all people, had_ children…_

Obi-Wan surely would need a very long break indeed. If anything, he deserved one.

"Padmé, I don't know what to tell you. I…I'm so sorry. I don't know how things got like this…I'm sorry."

When he looked back at her, he saw that she had covered her eyes with her hand.

"Just go," she muttered softly, her voice cracking. "Please."

"Padmé…"

"Just. Go. Away."

The words came out very harshly, and Obi-Wan could see another tear rolling down her cheek, with more to come. He wished there were something he could do to make her feel better.

Lowering his head in resignation, Obi-Wan did as she asked and left. Back in the quarters he shared with Mace Windu, he found the other Master staring out a window. One of his hands was on the sill, and the other propped on his hip. He did not turn to look at Obi-Wan, but kept his gaze on the Alderaanian night.

"The night is dark. I've never seen one so black," Mace said plainly.

The younger Jedi just stared at him.

"They say that the darkest nights always come after the brightest days," Mace went on, ignoring the fact that Obi-Wan was not responding to him.

_He's gone completely insane. I bet he'd be talking to the room if I weren't here._

"What?" Obi-Wan finally managed to blurt out.

"Balance, Obi-Wan. It's all about balance. The deepest dark, the brightest light. They always follow each other. And right now…we are without the one that can bring the balance back. Too far into the dark are we."

_Yes. Quite insane – he's even starting to sound like Yoda. _

All the emotional stress was starting to make Obi-Wan into a dry cynic.

"Master Windu, what are you…" Obi-Wan started. Mace turned around, and looked at Obi-Wan, as if realizing he was in the room for the first time. He stepped away from the window.

"Balance. Balance is key. We have to have balance, and to have balance…we have to have…"

"Mace, you're not making any sense. Are you alright?"

Silence was the reply. Mace moved past Obi-Wan, heading towards the door. When he reached it he glanced back at the other Jedi.

"The Chosen One is our last hope. Balance has to be restored."

Just like that he was gone.

Obi-Wan's jaw dropped. For a couple seconds he stared at the door through which Mace left. At first he thought about going after him, but knew that he had to remain here.

After all, he had to keep a promise to Padmé.

And Anakin.

If Mace somehow knew where he was…then let him take care of it. Obi-Wan knew that long ago he should have gone after Anakin, should have tried to talk some sense into him, but everyone else convinced him that it was the wrong thing to do. Now he had to stay here. The only thing he could do was watch over Padmé for Anakin, and believe that Mace could bring his old apprentice back.

To be continued...


	12. Chapter 12

As always, thank you to everyone for your comments! It's good knowing that this story is being enjoyed. To Lord Fell - Mace is going a little crazy, and as to whether he finds Anakin here is your answer. It's getting about time to wrap this thing up - only about five chapters more (I think I counted right...it's been a long day). : )

12

_Beep_.

_Beep! Beep!_

Calmly Mace Windu reached out and turned the alarm off. He knew he was in the Stalynia system already. More importantly, though, he knew he was in the right system. He didn't have to be Master Yoda to sense that Anakin Skywalker was down there.

The R4 droid bleeped a question, but Mace ignored it. To make sure the droid stayed quiet he switched off the automatic pilot, leaving the ship in his control.

There was no room for distractions. This was his journey.

Of all the things that had gone wrong in the Republic, particularly those that were his fault, this was his chance alone to be vindicated.

Bringing back Anakin Skywalker was the only way.

For over a month he had been alone, away from the Jedi Order. Rumors circulated that he was dead, that he turned to the Dark Side, that he somehow managed to leave the galaxy altogether.

Mace seriously doubted this last option.

Inter-galactic travel was – impossible. Everyone knew that.

Never mind the fact that Obi-Wan and Anakin reported mysterious evidence of beings from another galaxy ten years ago when they journeyed to the strange planet of Zonoma Sekot. Mace would never forget _that_ briefing.

Taking a deep breath, Mace assured himself that the Chosen One was indeed down on the surface of Stalynia. Gently he guided the ship down through the atmosphere.

"Guess I should have take a closer look at my surroundings," he told himself. With another breath he looked beyond the small starfighter.

The large, blue and green planet of Stalynia rested before him. It seemed soft and subtle, compared to the bright, blinding glow of Coruscant, despite the fact that he had adjusted to the softer tones of Alderaan.

No wonder Anakin wanted to come here. Mace was surprised the entire planet was not covered in expensive resorts for the rich, all touting a break from the hustle and bustle of life and a brush with the wonders of nature.

Mace snorted at the thought. Civilization could be so contradictory. No wonder Anakin wanted to get away from it all.

But what on earth was he doing _here_, of all places?

He'd never even heard of the system.

Mace was not one to give into fanciful ideas about dreams and foresights. He was a simple Jedi. The world existed as he saw it – everything connected together in the Force in such a way that he could see, no know, the correct path.

Other Jedi liked to talk of the will of the Force, Mace preferred to find these paths. When he found them, he did not have to wonder at the will of the Force.

The Force told him what to do; the correct action was always the brightest. Every time it was the same. Mace did as he always had done, choosing the right action that would create a single outcome from many –

Everything after that was up to the Force.

So while he had never heard of this planet he was now descending to, Mace followed the Force to this place.

Anakin Skywalker was key.

All along Mace had been able to see that the boy was central to the future of the galaxy. Ever since the boy first walked into the Council Chamber, thirteen years ago, Mace knew.

There was a prophecy about a chosen one because the Chosen One would be the most important key of all.

Mace had just been lucky enough to recognize it.

Anakin Skywalker was the _Chosen One_.

* * *

The transmission cut out, filling the small bungalow with silence. Despite this, Anakin's ears rang. Over and over, the words of Supreme Chancellor – Emperor Palpatine ran through his head. Anakin knew he would never quite get used to the fact that Palpatine now called himself Emperor, but that was of no concern. He was far away from the Republic, or the Empire, or whatever it was.

Frankly, the new name for the galactic government did not bother him. He had no attachment to the Republic. For if the Republic were as great as everyone said, why did it not save him from nearly ten years of horrific slavery?

Anakin snorted.

This was not the day to start ruminating over things that could not be fixed. He merely told the thoughts to stop, and away they went. As for his resentment…

It remained.

A lot of his emotions went unchecked these days. With the Jedi no longer there to berate him for feeling things that were natural to a human, he sometimes let himself enjoy everyone of them – from joy and peace to anger and fear.

Through letting himself feel the emotions, the emotions that were of his self, he found himself craving one thing:

Vindication.

That fleeting sense that _he_ was right, _they _were wrong. He could do what he wanted to do, what he needed to do, and it was alright to do so.

Someday, he promised himself, he would be in a position that made him answer to no one; he could make things exactly as he wanted them to be.

He would make things as they _should_ be.

Right now, Palpatine was the one person that brought him closer to that promise. Palpatine told him that frequently in the political arena the ends justified the means; that sometimes things _just have to get done_, no matter how they do so.

It just seemed so amazing that Palpatine understood everything that Anakin was going through. Looking back, he had to wonder why he felt so wary of Palpatine before. There was nothing to fear about the old politician. He was just a politician; once they are removed from their little world they really became quite harmless.

Regardless of any titles that may have been held during the politician's time in office.

For all his honesty, Anakin did not divulge one thing – his love for Padmé. That was still something sacred; it had no bearing on things between him and Palpatine. Plus, would he really want to hear Anakin prattle on about such things?

It was all so trivial.

What was not trivial, however, was the problem of the Jedi. Anakin now saw them for what they were – strict, narrow-minded, and dogmatic. He would be much better off out here where he could serve the Force without having to fear the Masters looking over his should like an overbearing slave owner. Anakin had the slight feeling that Palpatine wanted to take some kind of action against the Jedi, but he felt that as long as the Jedi left him alone then it was not his concern. That was something the Jedi and the Emperor could work out back on Coruscant.

In the back of his mind, he knew he wanted to take out revenge against the Jedi who took Padmé away from him. First, there was the whole issue of Jedi not being allowed to love. Then, the Jedi shipped him off to the edge of the galaxy just to get him out of the way, keeping him away from her for so long. When he finally returned they treated him like a dumb child, wanting to be rid of him again.

Well, two could play that game.

He could rid himself of them, as he already had done. They would be fine, just as long as they did not try to come and find him. The only person that would be received well here on Stalynia would be Padmé. Anakin would have it no other way.

* * *

The sweeping grassland grew larger in front of Mace's cockpit. He guided his fighter down to the planet, ignoring the scan searching for the signature of the starfighter Anakin was known to have flown out of the Temple hangar. Instead, he reached out with the Force.

The bright spot in the Force created by the boy's unnatural connection to it made him almost impossible to miss.

It was like a beacon screaming "Anakin Skywalker is HERE."

Something was wrong. It was Anakin alright, but he was drastically different. Mace knew that there had been a lot of things troubling him when he left, but had not suspected something quite like this.

Cold, dark…power…resonated from the area where Anakin had taken up settlement.

Anakin would always be young to Mace. However, nothing here exuded the one thing that came with youth: innocence.

Whatever innocence Skywalker might have had when he arrived was now long gone.

That is, if he had any when he left the Order a month ago. Mace wished he had paid more attention to him. Perhaps he could have prevented this from happening. He saw the connections, it was his job to take care of – or ruin – them.

Strengthening his resolve, he flew the craft low to the surface of the planet. Just to his left, the sea came up against the land. Mace's ship picked up the starfighter that he knew lay ahead. Within a few seconds, he could barely make it out sitting next to a makeshift hut.

Anakin was here. That was his personal fighter.

* * *

Someone was here.

For a fleeting second, Anakin almost believed it was Padmé and got up from his seat so fast that he knocked over the chair he was sitting on. As soon as he was on his feet, though, his spirits sank as it dawned on him that it was not her. Anakin needed no second sense with the Force to tell him that it was a Jedi. Grim, he walked to the entrance to the hut, and stuck his head out.

He did not care who it was, a Jedi meant only one thing for him –

Trouble.

Sure enough, the figure coming up to him was a Jedi; there was no mistaking that robe. And there, glinting in the light, was a lightsaber. For a second, Anakin just stood in his spot, his mind almost frozen.

Many times he thought about what would happen if a Jedi were to come here, but he always assumed that it would be Obi-Wan, maybe Yoda on a long shot. To Anakin, that bouncing lightsaber proved everything he believed.

_The Jedi have always been against you…insulting your abilities by holding you back and not teaching you things you deserve to learn…_

Palpatine's words echoed in his mind, only he no longer recognized them as such – they were whispered by the darkness that lurked inside Anakin

Stiffening, Anakin stepped out of the hut. He knew he had to confront this Jedi. He wondered if it was even someone that he knew from the Temple. But that would be too lucky for him. There was no one there that cared about him. While Anakin now hosted no great love for the Jedi, he did not want to kill this one. He merely wanted to be left alone, and alive this person could take that message to the Council.

Peace was all Anakin needed. He might even consider going back to the Order, once he was able to have time alone to figure out all the thoughts going through his mind.

A few more steps brought the visitor into focus for Anakin. A fleeting feeling of surprise went through him as the hood pulled back he found himself looking at the face of Mace Windu.

One of the revered Masters was actually here.

His jaw dropped slightly then aware of what he was doing, he promptly shut it.

"Hello, Anakin," Mace said softly, coming up to stand in front of him.

"Master Windu," Anakin muttered. He made no move to step closer to the Jedi.

"How are you doing?"

Anakin looked around before answering. Like he would ever explain what was really going on.

"Fine, all things considered," he finally responded.

Mace nodded.

"What do you want?" Anakin asked bluntly.

"Only to see if you will return."

"I'm not going back. My place is here."

"We need you Anakin. I don't know if you've heard–"

"About your new little Emperor?" Anakin cut in, finishing for him. "I've heard. What makes you think I care? I have no attachment for the Jedi."

"Surely you want justice restored to the Republic."

"Justice? How can you sit there and spout words about justice? The Republic is dead! _Surely you've heard about that_."

"The Republic is not dead – it does not have to be dead! That's what I'm trying to tell you, Anakin! If you come back, if you rejoin the Order, then the Republic can be restored!"

"What makes you think that I want to restore the Republic? What makes you think that I want to bring about your precious 'balance'? Yes, Master Windu, I know that's what you are thinking of most!"

"Anakin, what has happened to you?"

"Why do you care?" he hissed. His eyes narrowed, becoming two small glittering points under his hood. The soft afternoon light threw an eerie glow onto him, casting half of him in shadow.

"I care because you are Jedi! You are the Chosen One. I know you are, Anakin!"

Mace could not have chosen any others that would have had a worse impact. Fury welled up in Anakin at those words.

Once more he found himself succumbing to his anger.

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you to everyone that leaves a review - I appreciate them very much. Enjoy the next chapter!

12

Anakin and Mace stood there, neither one daring to move. As Mace watched, an imperceptible change came over Anakin. He opened his mouth one more time, trying to bring back the Chosen One.

"If not for the Jedi, for the galaxy, Anakin. We need you! You have no idea how important you are. I know! It's my gift, I can see it! Please!"

The words came out thickly, they sounded like a child pleading with a parent for a candy treat. Never in his thoughts did Mace imagine himself to be begging like this.

It made him feel like a dog, not a Jedi.

Anakin _had_ to be brought back.

"No," Anakin whispered so softly that Mace stared at him. Anakin repeated himself, "No. I'm not doing what you want anymore."

"Anakin–"

"You do not understand _my_ gift, Master Windu," he said. "_This_ is my gift. And you can't take it away."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Anakin had his lightsaber out and ignited. The blue blade swept up in a tight arc, held close to Anakin's body by his right hand. Mace had been so intent on the changes raging through Skywalker that he almost did not sense the danger in time.

_Snap-hiss_.

A purple beam of light shot into existence, crossing with the blue shaft threatening to slice Mace into two pieces.

The lightsabers hissed and crackled, their wielders staring at each other. Anakin's face was unreadable, and Mace showed only fierce determination.

Suddenly Anakin pushed against Mace, making him give way.

A Jedi fought only on the defensive. And Anakin had provoked the fight.

However, Anakin knew Master Windu's weakness. They had sparred together in the Temple enough. Only a Jedi Master of the weakest quality would have to create his own lightsaber style. Mace defended Vapaad by saying that it channeled and focused his own weakness, but Anakin knew better.

If he pushed in just the right spot, no amount of Vapaad would save Mace from himself.

The darkest nightmare, Anakin found, was to be forced to face yourself.

Out here, on Stalynia, such a beautiful planet, Anakin had only had himself.

He stared that horrid feeling down the throat, prying it open so he could understand what haunted him. In doing so, everything that Anakin once had been was eaten away; left as an angry, fearful shell that was only a faint echo of the man it had been before. Through his meditations, he brough to full life the other side of him – the dark one that slumbered for so long in the depths of his heart.

This was what Anakin found upon facing himself, and now it had utter control over him. There was no stopping it, and shunted off to a corner of his own mind, Anakin hoped that in time he could regain control and rid himself of this nightmare he created.

* * *

The flashing of the lightsabers attracted the attention of the Coastals and the Inlanders alike. Groups of both people gathered around the area, wondering what the dancing beams of light were.

For the first time in many centuries, they stood side-by-side, joined by a common interest. Not one of them thought of fighting another.

Leaders of both groups would soon say that they knew the one from the stars would bring peace to Stalynia.

Long after the passing of those who witnessed the fight, and many generations more, there would always remain a sense of mystery about the place where the duel occurred.

While the people of Stalynia did not understand the reason for the fight, first there was only one person from the stars, then suddenly there were _two_ and they were fighting – they still understood that it was a duel of great importance.

As a marker for the Final Fight that Brought the Great Peace, as they called it, they left Anakin's hut alone. A sea storm would destroy it many years later, and the Coastals who helped in its construction lamented the loss. After this time, every year on the anniversary of the duel, Coastals and Inlanders alike would flock to the site. Together, they would partake in a great feast, displaying their traditions to each other. Eventually, the origins of some traditions as being Coastal or Inlander were forgotten.

At the end of the feast, two simple flowers, one white and the other red, were placed where the hut once stood.

One for each of the two people from the stars.

White was for the one who died there; white being the color of those who passed from life.

Red for the one who came first, the one who had loved and had been loved; red being the color for love and lovers.

* * *

The Dark Jedi glowered at Mace Windu. Picking himself up from the ground, wiping off the grass seeds from his robes, he stood to face the Master.

It was time to end this duel.

The fighting had been so intense, so consuming that neither of them noticed the growing crowd of Coastals and Inlanders on the crest overlooking the site of Anakin's hut. For now, the darkness that had taken over Anakin did not care about the simple people of Stalynia. He wanted nothing more than to teach this Jedi Master a final lesson.

His hand went to his belt, and remembered that his lightsaber was not there. In fact, it was nowhere in sight. The kick that had knocked him to the ground, and the air out of him, sent it flying into the grasses somewhere. It would be a nightmare to try and find it. Anakin might have tried calling it to him with the Force if the part of him in control had been a little more rational, but the only thing on his mind was the rage telling him to take down Mace.

Blind to the stupidity of the move, Anakin ran straight for Mace. He hit him full force with a solid head butt to the stomach. Mace let out an "Oof!" as the wind was knocked out of him.

Least he knew what the favor felt like.

The move caught the older Master by surprise; he only moved his arms to block his assailant, rather than igniting his saber and skewering him like a Corellian starfin fish. Regardless, the younger man hit him full force and knocked him over. Mace's arm moved again, and something other than red took over the Dark One's vision.

Silver.

Silver outlined by gold.

It would be all too easy to wrestle the lightsaber away from the Jedi, while he gasped for breath. He knew the Master's connection to Vapaad had been shattered. Mace's concentration was always scattered for a few valuable seconds after he broke away from his precious lightsaber style.

In the end, it proved to be as easy as the Dark Jedi thought. As if it were a dream, he watched himself grab hold of Mace's arm, ignoring the struggles the Jedi put up against him. He tried his hardest to wrench the lightsaber free of his grip, but he wouldn't give up –

Anakin did not remember the exact point where part of him decided that turning on the lightsaber would solve his problems faster than getting it free from Mace. He just merely thought it. With a _snap-hiss_ that he barely heard, the purple blade shot to life.

Jedi Master Mace Windu was no more, speared through the heart on his own weapon.

Relish flooded the Dark Jedi as he realized with his victory this horrible fight was over. For a second he just remained there, the lightsaber humming and burning the earth it penetrated under Mace. Then the realization of what he did flooded Anakin and he fought back his dark side, leaving him with the reality before him.

He killed a Master. Not just any Master – but one of The Masters.

Worse, he knew all along what he had been doing. There was no hiding from it this time. Kashyyyk he could push aside with the excuse that he lost control.

Anakin knew full well he intended to kill Mace. He knew he would.

He knew he _wanted_ to.

Scared of what he had become, he skittered away from the body. As soon as his hands left the lightsaber, it shut off. Anakin did not miss the humming. The blood was pounding in his ears so loudly that he had not heard it in the first place. Anakin looked around, afraid of what he would find.

Coastals and Inlanders were staring at him from the crest overlooking his hut. They were completely silent.

Not even the bugs were chirping anymore.

Everyone, even the kriffing bugs, knew what he had done.

It was only a matter of time before the Jedi would track down where Mace had gone, surely he told someone back at the Temple of his destination. When that happened, they would find Anakin. This time there would be no attempts to bring him back, Anakin knew that they would come after him with the intent of killing him.

Panicked, he reached out to the Force. Instantly he found his lightsaber. He brought it to him, and took a quick glance around the area. In that single glance, everything that transpired in the past couple months flashed through his memory.

This was not how it was supposed to be.

_I told you so, _the darkness inside him said. _They wanted to do this to you. And now they're going to kill you for what you did._

Anakin knew that was true. The Jedi spared no one that went dark, and he knew they would not listen to the subtle nuances of two identities inhabiting one person. That left Anakin one option: he would not wait for them to find him. Instead, he would go to them. The thought of hunting them down, one by one, was something the darkness reveled in.

_I told you so,_ it mocked him again. Anakin squeezed his eyes shut, willing it to go away.

Shaking from the knowledge of what he set out to do, he jumped into his starfighter. As his hands moved over the controls, he felt the cool reserve of the dark one take over him again. Lifting off, he did not take a second glance back at Stalynia. Instead, he reached out to the Force, using that endless well of power he had within himself and found the closest Jedi.

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 14

To dmitchell: That's the exact reason I started this fic - after seeing AOTC, my friend and I stayed up the rest of the night plotting out a story that could have been much better. I hope you continue to like it! To Lord Fell: Don't worry! Anakin will get what he's got coming to him. But unfortunately, I knew poor Mace had to go at some point and I felt that his departure in ROTS did not do him enough justice. To the rest of my readers, I greatly appreciate all comments made. Enjoy the next chapter!

13

Padmé Amidala stood at her window in the Alderaanian royal palace. In the distance she could make out the faint outline of the mountains that were far off. No matter what she did, it seemed the twins inside her were discontent. More than any other day that she could remember, they were constantly kicking and twisting, sometimes violently, causing her pain. All day long her stomach had been ill at ease, making eating almost impossible.

She knew the end was near. If these two were not born soon, she would go insane if she had to endure another day like this. No amount of soothing – whether from herself or the Force – would calm the two babies. As if to make things worse, one of them struggled in response to the movement of the other, almost making a competition out of who could squirm most.

Giving up trying to calm them, Padmé decided that trying to calm herself was best. Perhaps if she were at ease then they would settle down. No matter how she tried, she could not quiet her mind.

Two days had passed since Mace Windu left. From what Obi-Wan told her, he went after Anakin.

For a brief flash, Padmé felt furious at the Jedi Master for not telling her where Anakin was. Of anyone, she deserved most to know where he was, if he was safe.

When she inquired as to why Mace suddenly left, the look Obi-Wan gave her did not make her feel better.

Something was wrong with Anakin.

She knew it.

He was alive, that much she was positive about. But even she could not ignore the increasing sense that something was _wrong_ – and not in a dangerous sense. Something about Anakin had changed drastically. Padmé did not know what it was, but she knew that if she were allowed to see him just _one more time_ she would be able to chase away whatever bothered him.

It was a simple matter, really. There were no great tricks of the Force needed. The Jedi were wrong, just as Anakin said. Right now, all he needed was one small thing, a four-letter word:

Love.

Padmé did not pretend to know much about love, having grown up in politics all her life. Falling in love was something she and Anakin discovered together. With his being a Jedi, he knew little. However naïve she was, Padmé knew that what she and Anakin had was, in fact, love.

That and she knew, even as a small child, that love made the galaxy bearable. It sounded corny, she knew.

_Anakin…_

The simple thought of his name ignited such a fury in her that she almost punched her fist through the window.

_I should be there instead! But no, the Jedi make me stay here, they keep me from him…_

She grasped the sill so tightly her knuckles went white. Her breath came fast and short.

_They've always been against you_.

Padmé's first instinct was to turn around and throttle Barriss Offee for – for –

She didn't know what. Gasping for breath, she sank forward, putting all her weight against the wall. Inside her, both of the twins were kicking desperately, trying to tell their mother to calm down – they were being drowned in pressure –

_They've always been against you_.

The thought ran through her mind again, almost stronger than the first. Another wave of pure fury hit Padmé, making her cry out.

"Padmé?" Barriss Offee called tentatively. Upon hearing no reply, she came into the bedroom. "Padmé? Are you alright?"

"Anakin…" Padmé managed to gasp. Something was _very_ _wrong_ with him. The anger, the fear she felt rolling through her belonged not to her, but to him.

"Anakin…please…"

"Padmé?" Barriss knelt down next to her, as she had sunk to the floor. To herself she muttered, when Padmé gave no answer, "Oh blazes…"

She turned to the entrance of the room, and gathering as much of the Force as she could, she screamed out into the sitting room, "OBI-WAN!"

Putting her attention back on Padmé she put one hand on her shoulder, the other on the Queen's back. Summoning all the calm she had, she urged it to Padmé, willing her to be still.

Padmé, on the other hand, noticed none of this. She was only conscious of the thoughts running through her head, feeling only the intense anxiety of the twins. Her mind felt like it was going to cave in, and her heart felt like it was going to explode. All the time she tried to keep one thought in her mind's eye.

And the pressure.

She had to protect the children from this; it was terrible to subject them to such raw anger at their age.

"Please…the children…Anakin…I love you…"

She let the words out with her last breath, and the world faded from view. Everything went black, and she could not even hear Barriss screaming at the top of her lungs for Obi-Wan to get in here, someone please get some medical droids here fast, did they not understand this was an _emergency_ – !

* * *

The next few days passed in a haze for Padmé. She remembered nothing of it later, spending most of her time in a troubled, semi-conscious state. Whenever someone entered the room, she turned to glance at them, but recognized no one.

Medical droids bustled about her, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. After the first day, they gave up and settled for keeping an eye on her. To them, there was nothing wrong.

Obi-Wan knew better.

Droids just did not understand the subtleties of life – they were blind, deaf, and dumb to the Force.

Right now, he knew, they were watching a pregnant woman, carrying two very Force-sensitive children, react to a strong dose of the worst poison:

Anger.

Hate.

Fear.

They festered inside Anakin, and now it had leeched into Padmé. Obi-Wan had an idea of what might help her, but her current condition was dangerous for the twins. Once he tried to tell her that the medical droids might have to operate, bring the children into the world.

This was the one time that Padmé seemed fully aware of her surroundings.

In a freak moment of sudden clarity, she reached up and grabbed hold of the front of his robes with such ferocity it startled him. Jaw clenched, Padmé whispered through her teeth what he should name the twins if she were not able to do it herself. As soon as she said the two names she let go of him and sank back into her pillows, muttering Anakin's name.

Obi-Wan nearly burst out in tears watching her at that moment.

* * *

A couple days later, the twins were born. Everyone hoped that Padmé would be aware enough recognize her children. The cries of her healthy twins did not stir her from her delusioned state. Obi-Wan was present at their birth, and did as he was bidden. The two children were given the names that Padmé wished them to have.

* * *

The thrumming blue lightsaber instantly vanished. With a grim look, its owner clipped it to his belt and turned away from the scene. This was a nasty affair and at the rate he was going, it would take a long time to be finished. But it had to be done.

Of all the ten thousand Jedi in the galaxy, he was the one that understood.

He was the true Jedi – not afraid of the power that the Force provided. The Jedi would come after him if they knew the truth of him; they were too narrow-minded to understand the power he now had at his control. Only by starting anew would there be true knowledge of the Force.

Walking back to his starfighter, the Dark Jedi forced himself to forget the details of the recent duel. That was the easiest thing to do, and it kept the other part of him quiet. After all, the things he had done over the past week were not things that would do well to be remembered. Thinking about them wore away at the soul, put the mind in agony.

Not that his mind could have been in worse shape. Having two different identities rooted in two different ideologies did nothing for his mental health.

Sometimes, in the deep recesses of hyperspace, memories would come back to him, from Anakin. He could picture himself being happy with his mother on Tatooine. He could remember moments where Obi-Wan was the greatest, wisest Jedi and he was lucky to have him as _his_ Master. There were times that he was in awe of the Jedi, and of all the progress he made studying under their guidance. Here and there, happy memories about Padmé taunted him.

So long now had he been drowning in this mental quagmire that everything else seemed to belong to a different Anakin. Ever since the duel with Mace, Anakin battled another – the Dark Jedi that was unleashed inside him. At first he had no name, no identity, and then in a moment of utter horror, it had one.

It pledged its allegiance to the Emperor, devoting his life to serving the New Order.

Anakin knew he had to keep the identity of this new Dark Jedi secret. This other side always whispered other thoughts in the corner of his mind, things with which Palpatine would agree very much.

And sometimes Anakin found it very hard not to listen to the reasoning of this other side. The suave arguments that came out of this part of him, justifying his actions, seemed so believable, proving almost impossible to refute.

No matter how desperate the situation got, Anakin still had one weapon against this other side, this Dark Jedi that took over him. It loathed memories of Padmé – for it lived off anger and hatred, and love was the one thing it could not stand. It tried to stamp out any semblance of love, only to be beaten back by Anakin's love for Padmé. As long as he had Padmé, he would love her, and as long as he loved her, Anakin could plague the Dark Jedi sharing his mind.

Sitting in his starfighter, he leaned forward. Anakin reached out to the Force, trying to find Padmé. It took him almost no time to sense her presence.

_Padmé._

Her name rang as a single thought in his head. Just her simple name, the one thing that made everything seem alright in the galaxy –

_Padmé. _

Her name came to his mind again, this time with more intensity. Something was wrong with her. Without understanding why, Anakin knew that she was enduring something physically difficult. He reached out to the Force to find her, and suddenly she was right there, in a way she hadn't been for months.

In that single second, all the confusion cleared. Anakin gasped for breath, the shock of the revelation hitting him hard.

_She was pregnant_.

Never before in his life did Anakin feel as stupid as he did in this moment. All the questions, all the changes, all the suspicions. It all made sense. She did not tell him because she wanted to protect him.

Anakin tried to get his mind around the simple fact that he was now a father.

A father. Incredible.

His child would have chances that he never got, having been born where the Jedi would find him early in life. A world of opportunities opened up before Anakin. Not since he was told he was going with Qui-Gon to become a Jedi had he felt such pride and hope.

Hands shaking, and back in control of himself for the moment, Anakin powered up his starfighter. He now had one single goal. Whatever the cost, he had to find Padmé.

Reching out to the Force, he tried to find Padmé. All he could sense was a faint glimmer of her, nothing strong enough to tell him where she was. One thing Anakin picked up very easily: wherever Padmé was, Obi-Wan was with her. In the back of his mind, he could hear the dark one laughing at him.

Of course – it thought Padmé was a foolish notion. But one thing it understood very well was Obi-Wan.

_He's the source of all your problems. You know it. By finding him, we can both get what we want…_the dark spot thought.

Anakin shook his head to clear the voice.

_No. Obi-Wan is with her. I have to find him, to find her. I'm doing this for what _I _want, not you, _Anakin told himself, willing the darkness inside him to stay quiet. _I have to find her. I love her._

The dark one laughed. _You still have much to learn. I know more about you – us – than you do. We always get what we want in the end._

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15

Notes are at the end to save space, simply because I never say anything shortly. Hmm, maybe I would be a good friend of the Ents... : )

15

"Good. In time, the Jedi shall no longer be a threat to the Empire. You have done well, now go – you know what you have to do," Emperor Palpatine said to the shimmering hologram before him. The miniature figure it displayed bowed its head, muttered a few words of acquiescence, and blinked out of existence.

A faint smile crept onto the old Emperor's face as he slowly swiveled his chair around so he could watch Imperial City.

_His_ city.

Think what the Jedi may about power, he knew he now held the true power in the galaxy. After all this was no longer their galaxy but his. There might be that slight issue of the person he just spoke with, but with time, he would come to realize his true place in Palpatine's galaxy.

Youthful enthusiasm could be contained. Time and proper training were all that were needed.

Finally, after some time, Palpatine turned his attention to other matters. Systems in the outer reaches of the galaxy, those that formerly were under the control of the Federalist cloning movement, refused to behave under his dictatorship. Entering in a new communication code, he raised another of his minions.

"My Lord?" Commander Tarkin asked politely. His face showed neither pleasure nor disgust at receiving the Emperor's call, merely the attentiveness required of business.

"I hear that you are having slight troubles in the outer territories of your sector, Commander," Palpatine said matter-of-factly.

Tarkin's eyes narrowed slightly at the implication of the Emperor's words. However he showed no other emotion. Carefully, he responded, "It is nothing that cannot be handled with the proper display of power."

"I see."

"These primitives oppose the new taxation laws. While they are in a distant system, they will not be allowed to continue. Only complete obedience to the Empire will be tolerated and an example must be made of them."

Tarkin stopped speaking, and Palpatine considered his words. All semblances of rebellion had to be quashed as soon as possible, so that the power and establishment of the Empire would not falter. Finally, he said, "Very well, Commander. I trust you will have this under control quickly."

"Absolutely, My Lord," Tarkin said, nodding his head in salute. Needing no further words, Palpatine cut off the transmission.

He rather liked the young commander from Eriadu, and would have chosen him as his apprentice if it had not been for the fact that Tarkin was as capable of using the Force as a nerf was capable of calculating a hyperspace jump for the Alderaanian royal family's pleasure yacht. On top of that, Tarkin adhered to Imperial policies a little too strictly with the kind of devotion that Palpatine knew would only bring about his ruin. In time, Palpatine knew, Tarkin would fall but until he did so, he would serve the Emperor's purposes in the Outer Regions.

His other choice, no matter how insane right now, was much better. Especially for the moment, as his protégé was taking care of the Jedi problem in the rest of the galaxy.

_Ah, yes…the Jedi problem, _Palpatine thought to himself. It was now time to clean up the rest of that galactic scourge.

* * *

"Good. In time, Jedi you shall be," Yoda said gently to the younglings. Several of them smiled bashfully, not sure what to make of the wizened master's praise. They all had lived in the Temple long enough to know the rumors surrounding Yoda's teaching methods.

"Master," one of the ones in the back spoke up (a quiet little Bpffashi humbled by the rumors of those of his kind that went dark), "someone's coming."

"Right you are," Yoda replied. "Return, after speaking with our mysterious visitor, I shall."

There was no need to tell the younglings to behave themselves in the Master's absence. Quietly Yoda shuffled out of the room, his gimer stick making a light tap on the floor with each step.

No sooner had he left than the small group broke out in conversation.

"Who do you think is here?" a human girl asked the Bpffash.

"I think it's someone important! Maybe it's the Emperor!" called out an enthusiastic, if somewhat untalented, Bothan.

"It wouldn't be the Emperor. Master Yoda would have been worried," the girl shot back.

"No, Master Yoda doesn't fear anything."

The girl rolled her eyes at the Bothan.

"Maybe it's Anakin Skywalker!" someone else called out from the back of the room.

"Don't be stupid! Anakin's dead."

"You don't know that!"

These words erupted an argument between all the younglings over whether or not Anakin Skywalker was in fact dead or alive – and whether he would come back to help them. One thing no one disputed was the fact that Anakin could take down the Emperor with one hand tied behind his back.

Outside the room, Yoda shook his head as he felt the ripples of innocence from the younglings through the Force. Even after all these years of instructing Jedi candidates, it always made Yoda smile when he felt such youthful earnest. After a second he focused his attention back on his visitor.

"Senator, most thankful for your message are the Jedi," he said, with a sigh.

"Senator Organa would have come, but certain duties were required of him by the Emperor."

The young woman kneeling next to the small Jedi Master spoke with a soft voice. She was one of the rare senators, at such a young age, which was able to command the attention of the entire senate chamber without the need to raise her voice. An educated background and experience made her wise beyond her years. Her fellow senators knew well enough to not make an enemy of the young woman from Chandrila.

"Good to know it is that the Jedi have more than one friend in the Senate. The most use of this information we will make."

"What do you think you will do, Master Yoda?"

For a second, Yoda paused. "Leave, we must. Let such a fate befall the younglings we must not – the future of the galaxy are they. The future are all young ones, including yourself, Mon Mothma."

The young woman could not help the blush that flooded her cheeks at the Master's words. Some senators tried to use her age, or lack thereof, against her, but to Yoda almost everything was young. Twenty-five years to the old Jedi was a blink of an eye.

"All these long months we should have seen this coming; it is nothing less than can be expected of Palpatine. No matter the cost, the Jedi cannot be allowed to disappear from the galaxy."

"Worry about it now we cannot. Deal with the current situation we must. Fear not for the Jedi, always hope for them there will be." Yoda's voice became quieter than usual and his eyes looked into the distance. Perhaps he was thinking about the two children recently fathered of the strongest Jedi, or perhaps he had some epiphany through the Force enabling him know for certainty that there would always be one Jedi.

Regardless, his words alleviated the Senator's thoughts and she rose to leave.

"Very well. I trust that you will be in contact with Bail Organa."

Yoda nodded in reply then bade her goodbye. As she turned to leave down the corridors of the Temple, he made his way back into the room with the younglings.

"Younglings!" Yoda called out upon entering the room.

"Who was that, Master?" one of them asked him curiously.

Yoda smiled.

"That is something not to trouble your mind with," was the coveted reply.

In the back of the group, a couple of the kids jostled each other and shot glances of "I told you so" back and forth. A disapproving look from Yoda quickly cut the behavior off.

"Know Master Plett, do any of you?"

The children glanced at each other nervously. "I do, Master," one of them said timidly, raising his hand.

"Anyone else?" Yoda gave them a cursory look.

A couple more hands went up.

"Good. Go, and find him. Use your senses – ask no one where he is! When found him you have, bring him here. Waiting I shall be."

Instantly the group of children gave out a chorus of "Yes, Master!" and hustled off to the door as one. They poured out of the room, some of them saying Master Plett was in one direction and others saying that he was in another. Yoda couldn't help but smile. With time they would learn to work together, to use their senses as one.

After a short while, which Yoda spent in a half-meditative trance, the younglings delivered Master Plett. Upon entering the room, the Ho'Din master bowed to Yoda, who acknowledged him with a nod of his head.

"Master Yoda, you called for me?"

"Mmm, yes," Yoda muttered. "Glad to see you within the shelter of the Temple I am. Many years it has been since you have been here."

"Yes. It's always nice to return to a place one used to call home."

The smile that Yoda gave him showed that the small green alien understood all too well.

"What can I do for you?" Master Plett asked.

"True, is it not, that you have a settlement near the outer rim?"

The taller master nodded. Yoda continued:

"And heard the latest turn of events, this latest threat against the Jedi?"

"Yes…" Plett replied, somewhat confused. "You mean that hideous doctrine that Palpatine unleashed, calling for us to be wiped out?"

The look Yoda gave him told him he was right. Plett sighed. "It's only a matter of time before the Palpatine gathers enough troops and tries something completely insane, such as storming the Temple."

Plett glanced around the room, almost as if he could see where the children stood just that afternoon, training with Yoda. "We can't let it happen. I assume you have something in mind, that the Council has something in mind?"

Yoda's head bowed before he answered. "Perhaps a little too much time away from the Temple have you spent."

Understanding passed across Plett's face. There was no Council. Several masters, like Mace Windu, were missing. Others, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, were scattered across the galaxy trying to contain other catastrophes. Yoda was all that remained of the Council in the Temple. The Jedi were no longer governed by a common body; now it was the goal of every Jedi to merely survive.

"You want me to take the younglings," the Ho'Din suddenly said.

A smile crept across Yoda's face.

"Correct, you are. The future of the Jedi Order are they. Safe with you we will be."

That last part caught Plett by surprise. "You are coming too, Master?"

"Too old for this am I." Yoda's eyes danced and one corner of his mouth curved up in a smile. "Forget, you do, that I am nearly nine hundred years old."

"Not at all, Master," Plett said, not sure what Yoda meant. Had he heard the old Master actually make a joke about wanting retirement? And who was he to look after all the younglings?

"Worry not, you should. Trust in the Force we must."

Somehow Yoda's words did not put Plett's mind completely at ease. "Of course, Master Yoda. I'll leave immediately – and prepare my place for the younglings."

"And bring them to you, I shall."

With that, Master Plett gave a slight bow to Yoda and turned to leave the room. As soon as he was gone, Yoda made his way to one of the windows. It was one of the low ones, so that if an observer were to look in they would see a pair of green eyes framed by large, pointy ears peering back at them.

Content with his standing, Yoda watched the movement of the city outside the Temple. Traffic now flew in a wide birth around it, for fear of being associated with the Jedi. Anyone wishing to enter the Temple had to do so from the lower levels. Looking hard enough, Yoda could see the dome of the Senate building – now more a senate in name than in being.

Completely alone in the room, sadness took over the small green alien. Despite his years as a Jedi master, he was not impervious to grief. Never before had he witnessed such dark times. Reaching out to the Force, there was nothing but darkness. As he did so his focus stayed on the Senate building. Evil seeped from it like thick smoke clouding a planet and covering it in false night.

Letting the Force take him further out into the galaxy, thousands of tiny points of light dotted his senses. A couple of them suddenly winked out of existence; Jedi that were handed over to the Empire. In the outer reaches something different reached him.

The dark spot that was moving to join the one thriving on Coruscant.

Pushing towards it, Yoda increased his concentration.

The twisted rage and hatred almost knocked the Master over. There was no name for the dark identity. It consumed the mind it lived in, wound up beyond its breaking point. Only a faint whisper remained of what the darkness had previously been, and the hunt for one person consumed it:

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

With a flash of understanding, Yoda knew that it wanted to find the other Master and exact revenge on him. It saw Obi-Wan as the source of all that plagued it and strove to erase that scar.

Yoda took a deep breath. Opening his eyes, allowing the physical world to come back to his vision, he slowly made his way to his quarters. Obi-Wan had to be made aware of the threat that hunted him and the truth behind what that threat had once been.

* * *

The child struggled a second more before finally falling quiet. Gently, Padmé held her close, willing her daughter to be calm. Swaying back and forth, while whispering for her to be calm, Padmé could not help but marvel at the way her daughter had grown. All these months, Bail Organa had been kind enough for her, Obi-Wan, and Barriss to remain on Alderaan. The more dangerous it became for him to house them, the more indebted she felt.

"Shh, sweetie. It's okay. Someday, I'm going to take you home. You'll love Naboo…" Padmé trailed off, thinking of her homeworld. It had been so long now since she had seen the beautiful city of Theed, the green plains, her family.

A knot rose in her throat and she forced herself to focus on her daughter.

_You have a different family now, _she told herself. Glancing down at the little girl, she could not help but smile. _Anakin would be so proud._

Once more bittersweet memories ran through her mind. Her daughter definitely took after her looks, but if she tried hard enough, she could see traits of Anakin in her. Mostly, it was in the child's disposition that her father was recognizable. The little girl, while usually quiet, proved to be quite stubborn at times. As Padmé watched, her little mouth fell open and she knew she was asleep.

A knock on the door broke her thoughts.

"Just a second," Padmé called out as she stepped into the other room to put the child to bed. Walking back to the entrance to the suite when she was tucked in, Padmé hurried over to the door and opened it.

"Obi-Wan!" she exclaimed with mild surprise. In response he gave her a nod of his head and came into the suite.

"I trust you are all well?"

"As well as can be expected."

The words were formal and cold; it was not until Padmé shut the door that Obi-Wan began to explain the real reason behind his visit. While Bail Organa was a friend, spies for the Empire still lurked everywhere.

"I just came by," Obi-Wan began, "to tell you that I have to be going."

Padmé gave him a quizzical look.

"Barriss is going to stay here to look after you, but I've got to leave."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Why?"

"I'm…endangering you by staying here," Obi-Wan said, admitting only half the truth.

"That's not an answer. It's something to do with Anakin, isn't it? You've found him, haven't you?"

"We have figured out what's happened to him, yes."

Her glare intensified. "And what's happened to him?"

Obi-Wan sighed, wishing he did not have to say the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

"I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but there's no use in hiding it from you. The Jedi have managed to track down Anakin, but only because of his actions. Our worst fears have come true – he's turned to the dark side."

Padmé could only glare at him; her words only a flat denial. "That's not true. I know him. He could never do that."

"We figured out what happened to Mace Windu. Anakin killed him," the words came out strained, making Obi-Wan's voice crack. The very idea that Anakin could have killed Master Windu made him sick at heart. Struggling, Obi-Wan went on, "And he's been chasing after other Jedi in the outer territories of the galaxy – not all of them have been killed by the Empire."

"No…no…" Padmé muttered, turning away from Obi-Wan. Desperately her eyes searched the room for some sign of comfort, hoping to find some hold that could save her from this nightmare.

And the truth of her reality hit her.

Her family was dead.

She would probably never see the Naboo she knew again.

Anakin, a thought she could not fully comprehend.

Padmé let out a wail and whirled back to face Obi-Wan. Suddenly feeling out of control, she raised a hand and started hitting the Jedi Master on the shoulders with both fists.

"You let this happen to him! You let him get so lost, and then you gave up on him!"

The outburst caught Obi-Wan completely off guard. Unsure of what to do, he froze in place.

"It's all your fault!" Padmé howled. "It's all your fault, Obi-Wan!"

With those words she sank against him, her shouts replaced with tears. Leaning against Obi-Wan she finally let out months of frustration, loneliness, and loss.

Tentatively, Obi-Wan put one arm around her in the hopes of calming her down. This most definitely was not his area of expertise – thinking in the back of his mind that perhaps it was a good idea that Jedi were not allowed to have romantic attachments. With his other hand, he patted her on the back a few times to soothe her.

"I'll bring him back, Padmé," he found himself promising. "I swear to you, I'll bring him back."

"You – what?" She looked up at him, her eyes puffy and red and tears still wet on her cheeks.

"I won't let anything more happen to him. It hurts me as much as it does you to loose Anakin – he's the only brother I've ever known. I never wanted anything but for him to be happy either."

The words just came from him, as he finally admitted to his emotions. Searching his face, Padmé could see the pain that lurked behind his steady Jedi exterior. After a second she turned her face down and leaned on him.

"Obi-Wan, I," she started, not sure of what to say, "I'm so sorry."

Obi-Wan said nothing in return.

Finally after a couple of awkward minutes where Obi-Wan did not know what quite to do, his experience with women was minimal at best, he managed to disentangle himself from Padmé. He pulled back from her and opened his mouth with the intent to say something.

Nothing came out.

Instead, Padmé turned her back to Obi-Wan. With one hand she wiped her eyes but no more tears came from her. She sniffed a couple times then left the room, going to check on her daughter.

* * *

Obi-Wan left the room. First he stopped in his room to shed his standard clothes in exchange for his Jedi robes. The journey ahead was going to be long, and he wanted to be comfortable. Anyone he met along the way could easily be persuaded to forget they saw him at all.

Making his way though the palace, he finally came to one of the many docking bays. A few hints, backed up with the Force, allowed him to slip past the service tech and into one of the sleek Alderaanian shuttles. For a second he sat staring at the control panel, trying in vain to get the ship powered up. The system was proving to be rather difficult, but he got it working just before he changed his mind and got into another ship.

With the ship gliding through the atmosphere, finally seeming to cooperate, it asked Obi-Wan for coordinates to plan a hyperspace jump. He paused for second then plugged in some coordinates.

The computer told him they were invalid and asked for coordinates again.

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan put them in once more.

Again, the same message flashed.

Wondering why he had to get the computer with an attitude, Obi-Wan entered the coordinates a third time thinking that if the computer did not accept them he would pull out his lightsaber and fry a few key components. Let the computer see what it thought of _that_.

Well, at least after he landed. No matter how uncooperative, he still needed it to get to off Alderaan.

The ship flew through the atmosphere with ease and Obi-Wan settled back for the flight. A slight twinge of guilt went through him for what essentially was the theft of the shuttle.

Times had changed, however, and had Obi-Wan along with them.

And Anakin.

He was the reason that Obi-Wan was leaving. After talking to Yoda, hearing what he had to say about what Anakin turned into, Obi-Wan found himself unable to stand aside no more.

He had had enough.

Yoda told him that there was nothing left of the Anakin that Obi-Wan knew, that he was completely given over to the dark. Obi-Wan refused to believe it. When Padmé had said that she knew Anakin would never do such a thing, Obi-Wan had been thinking the exact same thing. By taking the trip, he hoped to find Anakin – and turn him from what he had become.

Strengthening his resolve, he leaned back into his seat and went into a hibernation trance for the long flight ahead.

Over a day later, Obi-Wan steered the Alderaanian shuttle to the atmosphere as he stared at the planet looming before him. Viscous gasses choked the atmosphere with such high toxicity levels that life was nearly impossible. Crannies created by the tall mountains covering the entire surface of the world made small pockets of breathable air that hung low to the surface. From space, the world glowed in a way that reminded Obi-Wan of Coruscant.

This world, however, would never be Coruscant.

Suddenly, his danger sense flashed. Without even thinking he jerked his craft harshly to the left. A mere second later, molten lava shot into the air, just where he had been.

"Blast!" Obi-Wan cursed, realizing how close he came to becoming roast Jedi, served well done.

Warning alarms began to screech in the cockpit, alerting him to the imminent doom guaranteed by the intense heat.

"I know, I know…" he muttered to himself as he steered the ship further away from the spewing lava.

Just when he thought he was out of danger, another stream shot up. The warnings grew louder as the heat strained other systems. He tried to divert more power to the shields, but the computer let him know that there was no more to give.

And that was when the computer failed completely.

"I see how it is. Now computers decide when they want to work and when they don't. Soon enough droids are going to be demanding medical benefits and requesting time off," Obi-Wan let out bitterly.

An attempt to reboot the computer resulted in the shields nearly failing.

"Oh, now isn't _that_ just cute." Obi-Wan went on to grumble something else about computers under his breath, something not too becoming of a Jedi.

Deciding to navigate himself through this mess, rather than attempting to bring the computer back online and most likely getting himself turned into a crisp in the process, Obi-Wan sank into the Force. His senses reached out, and he darted through the dangerous terrain. His true ally, the Force, warned him of upcoming lava spouts, letting him dodge through the maze.

No sooner, it seemed, had he given himself to the Force than Obi-Wan felt the danger pass. Opening his eyes, he saw a small valley before him. It was not beautiful, by any means, but the structure of a long-abandoned processing plant remained. Knowing that the air would be breathable there, Obi-Wan guided the small shuttle towards it and set down on a small paddock in the middle of the complex.

Powering down the remaining systems, a grand total of about three, that were not affected by the main computer's belligerence, Obi-Wan felt no urge to step outside his spaceshuttle. Off in the distance, a creature that looked like an oversized flea crawling on the surface quashed even further his desire to stretch his legs.

Taking a deep breath, he settled into his seat. This was going to be another long wait, and now that he was here he wondered what exactly it was that he was supposed to do here.

In fact, he didn't even know what _here_ was called.

Regardless, the Force led him to this place – all would be revealed in good time, as was the nature of the Force. Knowing what he had to do next, he found in the Force the dark storm that was his former apprentice.

Anakin, or what was left of him, was tearing around the galaxy, desperately hunting for Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan did not know what Anakin wanted with him, but an inkling of intuition told him it had something to do with Padmé and the children.

Just before he sank into a hibernation trance, Obi-Wan called out to the dark shadow lightyears away, _Come find me, Anakin…_

To be continued...

To Fell Dragon: While I have this thing written, it does not mean that I can't make changes - I realized that I left out something that George Lucas said he was going to explain, and Master Windu will fill that role perfectly. After all, he is one of the most powerful masters... I'll let you know when I get it worked out.

To DicoShopGirl: I didn't think it would be possible for Anakin to go Dark while he still loved Padmé since love is the opposite of hate and the Dark Side. Hence, as long as the young Jedi has his love, he's somewhat safe from falling. I'm glad you like the technique!

To dmitchell: I'm glad you like this story a lot more! The reason Padmé died in 3 was one of the biggest issues my friends and I had with it. She went from a strong character to a glorified incubator so the twins could be born. It was horrible.

And thank you to everyone else who has left comments along the way. I hope you keep reading, there are only three more chapters to go after this one!


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you all for your comments - I enjoy the feedback. Finals week is here, so I've been mad crazy busy! Thus I'm going to put the next chapter up tonight - is the perfect excuse to take a break from studying. ;-)

16

…_Anakin…come find me…_

The thought jolted Anakin awake. He started, wondering where the voice came from. It was right there –

…_find me…_

– a glimmer of intent from the Force.

"Obi-Wan," he muttered to himself. He glanced around to see if anyone could hear him, but of course no one was there.

Except for the dark one who shared his mind.

It took Anakin a second to realize that this was one of the fleeting moments where he was in control. Instantly his hands flew over the instrument panel of his starfighter, powering it up.

He was going after Obi-Wan.

And it was because _he_ wanted to, not because of the dark one.

Heart racing, he gently guided the starfighter up into the atmosphere. The planet below him fell away and he felt himself giving over to the exhilaration that always flooded him when he flew. With it he felt something he'd not had in a long time – hope.

_Obi-Wan._

_Padmé._

The thought of her name was enough to stomp out any lurking thoughts from the dark one in the back of his mind. Finally, at long last he would see her again, and he could even lay eyes on his child for the first time. That idea made his hands shake and his heart fluttered. Calling on the Force, he made himself calm down enough so he could pilot the small craft.

When he cleared the atmosphere and made the jump to hyperspace, Anakin opened himself up to all he felt – the relief that this would all soon be over almost brought him to tears. Padmé, sweet Padmé. Her soft curls, beautiful smile, gentle touch.

This was the light. Starved of it so long, he never wanted to let it go again. Everything would be fine now. After this, the dark one would be silenced forever.

* * *

"Padmé?" Barriss Offee called out. She could hear the other woman moving about in the other room; steady determination roiled off her through the Force. After receiving no answer she got out of her chair, where she sat skimming the Holonet for news, and made her way to the back room in the suite.

The first thing she noticed was that the room was completely torn apart. Barriss's mouth dropped open at the sight of the mess. A couple suitcases lay open on the bed, items haphazardly tossed into them. From across the room, the little girl watched everything with her bright brown eyes.

"Are you alright…?" Barriss stammered, not sure what to make of the scene before her.

Padmé turned around, startled by the other woman's appearance. "I can't stay here anymore. I have to find Anakin."

She went back to packing.

"Padmé, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"I don't care. I know he's out there, and I know that he can't be as bad as the Jedi say he is. I'll find Anakin, and then we can go get our son. We can all be a family together."

The Jedi Knight gaped at her. _Has she gone completely nuts? Anakin would probably kill her – simply because he's just that unstable! Not to mention he's in league with the Empire! _

"And I don't care who he's allied with," Padmé said as she stuffed some clothing for her daughter into the suitcase. It was nearly full however, and she struggled for a second before getting it to fit.

That made Barriss' jaw drop even more. She glanced at the little girl, sitting in the elegant crib that Bail Organa had provided. Something about the child made a slight chill go down her spine – it was almost as if the small girl could read Barriss' intent as she studied the Jedi intently with her large eyes. Turning away from her, she focused her attention back on Padmé.

"But what of the Imperials? The only reason they tolerate him is because he's hunting down Jedi for them. Eventually they'll turn on him, and what are you going to do then? They'll be hunting for you too."

Padmé did not stop packing and replied. "I know people on Naboo. They'll keep us safe – they helped me once and they'll do it again."

Barriss snorted, doubting this. Based on what the holonet news reported, the Empire was quick to squash any rebellion.

"Padmé, there probably isn't anything left of the movement that helped you get off Naboo when the Cloners tried to take it over. They'd have been stopped by the Empire. Most of them have probably been killed in the time since you left; it's been over a year since you were there.

"And even if you were to find some place to hide, the Imperials would find you. It's pretty hard not to notice a rogue Jedi running around with a woman and two kids. Once they found you, they'd kill Anakin and the kids. And you simply because you were with them."

Her gaze traveled to the girl, who was still staring at her. She was really starting to creep Barriss out.

Padmé stopped her packing and glared at Barris, who was thankful that she finally managed to illicit a reaction from the former Queen.

"And what's the difference between that and now? I'm in hiding with a Jedi. Surely they'd kill me for that."

Barriss sighed. Arguing with a politician was difficult. Trying to convince a mother of something she did not want to agree with was next to impossible. Combine mother and politician – then it was like trying to thaw Hoth. It was not going to happen.

"Fine. If you want to tear around the galaxy on some bantha chase suit yourself. At least here you're protected," Barriss snapped.

"By what?"

"A Jedi."

"I thought Anakin was supposed to be the strongest of the Jedi. Surely I'd be safer with him than any other."

"You won't be safe while you're trying to find him. Where are you even going to start?"

Padmé shrugged.

"If you had a Jedi with you, you'd be able to find him easily. Not to mention you'd be a lot safer."

"So are you offering to come with me?"

"_What_!"

"You just said that I'd be safer if there was a Jedi with me, and that a Jedi could find Anakin. It seemed you were volunteering yourself for the job," Padmé shot back in return for Barriss' stubbornness. "Plus, I'd think you'd have some interest in finding Anakin, since you claim he's a friend of yours."

As far as she was concerned, Barriss had not said any such thing. Padmé had grossly misunderstood her words. Then again, she was a politician and politicians loved to mince words, just look at Emperor Palpatine.

Knowing that she could not let Padmé leave unprotected with the child, but that leaving was a disastrous idea, she gave in.

"I suppose I did," she muttered through gritted teeth. Never before had she been so easily bested by someone who was incapable of using the Force. "Just let me know what you want to leave."

Barriss went back into the other room. She sat back down in the chair, feeling that somehow she had been cheated. The fact that Padmé had used her friendship with Anakin against her was especially irritating. On the other hand, Barriss had used the children against Padmé.

Women – even if they were Jedi – could be so nasty to each other.

As she sat, the idea of leaving Alderaan nagged at her. Getting up, she told Padmé that she would be gone for just a bit and then made her way out of the suite. She was off to find Bail Organa.

Someone should know they were leaving.

* * *

Anakin's resolve wavered when the ship came into view. He only needed one look at it to know that Obi-Wan had piloted it. Scanning the local area, he saw no other sign of his former master.

Obi-Wan was on that ship.

Guiding the small fighter to the surface, a trill went through Anakin. Much time had passed since he saw Obi-Wan last.

_A little too much time,_ the dark one whispered in the back of his mind.

Anakin ignored it.

_He doesn't think of you as his ickle widdle apprentice anymore. He thinks you're a monster._

_Shut up,_ Anakin rebutted like he was talking down to an annoying sibling. _He thinks _you're_ the monster._

The voice fell silent, but the damage was done. Nervously Anakin undid his crash webbing and unlocked the cockpit hatch. With a sharp inhale he hopped out.

The first thing he noticed was the heat.

There was no doubt about it – this place was _hot_.

Anakin shook his head as he walked over to the sleek shuttle. Already his body was starting to sweat, and he felt like he was back on Tatooine.

Tatooine was definitely something he did not want to think about.

_You can't run from it. The Jedi took her away from you. You know it was Obi-Wan's fault._

_Go away, _Anakin willed, squeezing his eyes shut so hard it hurt.

"Anakin?"

Anakin whipped his eyes open to see Obi-Wan standing a few feet in front of him. The sight of him shocked Anakin; the last months had not worn well on Obi-Wan. His eyes looked slightly haunted and something fundamental seemed to be missing from him.

"Mast…Obi-Wan," he croaked, not sure of what to call the other Jedi.

For a minute they regarded each other. Neither of them spoke, said nothing of what brought them together.

_Well, get on with it. You're boring me_, the darkness mocked Anakin.

_You wanted to come here too, remember? _Anakin shot back, with a shake of his head.

"Anakin? Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned.

_Yes, Anakin. Why don't you tell him what's been going on the past few months? I'm sure Obi-Wan would _love _it. Or better yet, why don't you let me tell him?_

"I'm…I'm alright…" Anakin responded after a second with another shake of his head. The voice would not be quiet. He needed to focus; he could not carry on two conversations at once.

Obi-Wan's eyebrows went up further from doubt.

"I just want to know where you took Padmé," Anakin said, looking straight at Obi-Wan.

"She's," Obi-Wan paused, "safe. We've kept her away from the Empire. No harm has come to her."

"Where is she? I just want to see her!" Anakin stepped closer to him, pleading. He was so close to her, finally after all these months. Reaching out to the Force, he could sense her presence. It seemed to be coming closer. "Please, tell me where she is."

Obi-Wan shook his head. Anakin stiffened. What he failed to notice was the slight hesitance Obi-Wan had in denying him the information he wanted.

"I can't yet, Anakin. All I can tell you is that she's in hiding and she's safe."

"No." Anakin stepped to the side. "No," he muttered again and started to pace with small, hurried steps.

The heat was making everything heavy. The dark voice would not be quiet. He came all this way for nothing.

All of it pressed down on Anakin and he shut his eyes again, wishing everything would go away. His throat constricted. In his chest, his heart hammered so that he could feel each seperate chamber contracting to make a quadruple beat. Not even the Force would calm it down.

Reaching out to the Force, he strained to find something to hold onto. And there was Padmé's bright light. Anakin latched on to it, letting himself be washed away in her. He could even feel her attachment to the child, _his_ child.

_See? The Jedi just want to keep you away from those you love. _

He put his hands on the side of his head, muttering to himself.

* * *

Obi-Wan looked Anakin over, shaken at the sight of his former apprentice. He had his hands pressed over his ears. Muttering to himself, his lips moved swiftly. The Jedi Master did not need the Force to know that something was terribly wrong.

Something wild rested in Anakin's eyes, something he had never seen before. The sight of it scared him – he heard stories of Jedi who got that look, it never ended well.

"Anakin, are you alright?" Obi-Wan called out, knowing that the younger man was not paying attention to him. "I don't care what you've done – I only want to help you! Everything can be fixed, you can come back to the Order, you can end all of this right now."

"Anakin listen to me!" Obi-Wan grimaced, his patience starting to chafe. This was just like the old times; Anakin was a child that refused to obey. "I've only wanted to see you become the best Jedi you could be. I only wanted to you to be happy!"

"I know you're lying to me. _You_ took her from me – you can't stand the thought of me loving her!"

What Obi-Wan failed to realize that Anakin's words were not directed at him – they were meant for the darkness that plagued Anakin inside his mind. Anakin looked at Obi-Wan. The whites of his eyes were red from the heat, months of little sleep, and the terror inside him that he lived with.

Suddenly Obi-Wan understood what was wrong.

Anakin was fighting himself. Something damaged him so badly that it unleashed the monster he now faced. It never reached Obi-Wan until now because only Anakin could understand how to find him – and he would not let the monster get near him.

"Anakin…" Obi-Wan trailed off. Words raced through his mind but they fell silent when he opened his mouth to speak. "I'm only here to help you."

* * *

"If you want to help me, then tell me where she is!"

"I can't yet. I have to help you first."

_Obi-Wan won't tell you where she is. You know he won't. Ever._

"No…"

Anakin pushed his hands over his ears once more. His fingers clenched and dug into his scalp. Eight points of acute pain broke out on his head. He shut his mouth so tightly that his molars ground against each other. One of them felt like it was about to crack from the pressure.

Repeatedly he mouthed "No, no," to himself. He was screaming it inside his mind.

But it wouldn't stop. The dark one would not be quiet.

Obi-Wan's very presence in the Force made Anakin's heart pound. His right hand dropped near his lightsaber, it balled into a fist repeatedly. He knew that any minute now he would loose control.

The dark one would try to strike down Obi-Wan. He could not let that happen. In vain he fought to keep his minds' eye on Padmé, reaching out for that one bright spot of comfort.

* * *

The ephemeral world of hyperspace surrounded the small ship. Padmé held her daughter, swaying back and forth gently. When the child was calm she set her back in the trunk where she kept her for the journey. Padmé brought it on board, using it as a crib for the girl. And, in the case that they should run into any Imperial entanglements, it could double as a hiding place. With the child sleeping, Padmé made her way back to the cockpit of the ship.

Barriss sat there, in the pilot's seat, staring out the transparisteel viewport. One of her fingers repeated tapped the armrest in impatience.

"Is everything alright?" she asked softly.

Barriss whirled around to face her. "You startled me!" She put a hand to her face.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know it was possible to sneak up on a Jedi."

In return, Barriss gave her a half-hearted smile. "Unfortunately, it is possible. That, and a lot more."

She let the sentence hang.

"So do you have any idea where we're going?"

"Not really…I just tried to find Anakin through the Force and punched in some coordinates that will take us in that direction. After that, I ran them through the computer to see where we're headed to."

A hologram of a planet floated into view after Barriss pushed a few buttons and entered a few commands into the computer systems.

"Mustafar," Padmé read outloud. "Huh."

"I've never heard of it. Apparently it's just a backwater mining planet."

"What do they mine?"

"The computer says the main product is minerals found in the planet's lava. There aren't many habitants, just a few sentients making a rough living by mining the lava."

"Did you just say 'lava'?"

"Sure did."

Padmé shook her head. "Sounds like a wonderfully charming place. Where is it?"

"It's your average dream vacation destination out on the outer rim, near the Senex sector."

"The Senex sector? That's not far from Naboo." _Or Tatooine, _she thought to herself. "I wonder what Anakin is doing way out here."

"Who knows. Whatever it is, I think Obi-Wan's with him."

"That makes sense. He said he was going after Anakin," Padmé said, biting her lip. She studied the display a second more and let out a sigh. "This whole thing is giving me a bad feeling."

"Me too."

"And I thought Jedi didn't get bad feelings."

Barriss rolled her eyes at her, stepping past her to head back to the living quarters of the ship. It was a comfortable cabin, small but still spacious for the three occupants.

On Alderaan, they had slipped past the docking bay tech with the help of Barriss' mind trick abilities, courtesy of the Force. The first ship they came to suited their plans – a beautiful Alderaanian yacht, not unlike the one Padmé had owned back on Naboo. After they made it into hyperspace, they realized that the food generator was nothing to shake a lightsaber at.

"I'm starving. I'm going to try and coax something decent out of the cooking unit again. You want anything?" she called back to Padmé.

"Sure. Not like there's anything else to do," Padmé answered.

In the back she found Barriss attempting to concoct something resembling soup. But the foul odor of the mix staved off any appetite both the women might have had.

"What in the blazes died back here?" Padmé exclaimed, wrinkling her nose in disgust and waving her hand in front of her face to ward off the smell.

"I have no idea, but it seems our food generator has gotten worse. I give up." Barriss took the pot and dumped it out. "Uh, stuff still smells foul even when it's down the drain."

Suddenly a warning bell started ringing from the cockpit. Both women looked at each other and made their way back to the front of the ship. Barriss sat back in the pilot's seat, hands flying over the control panel.

"There's some kind of gravatic anomaly nearby."

"What?"

Barriss cursed. "It's one of those new ships they have – the ones that got us stuck at KAshyyyk."

In perfect timing with her words, the blue world of hyperspace dragged into starlines that streaked into distinct pinpoints of light as they returned to real space.

"Unknown ship, this is the Imperial Star Destroyer _Evicerator_! Please identify yourself immediately!"

"Uh...Imperial Destroyer this is the…" Barriss answered, trying to think of a name for their ship. Then suddenly a name she remembered from the Temple hangar flashed into her mind. "…_Lucky Star_. How can we help you today?"

"_Lucky Star_?" The Imperial commander asked them.

"Yes, that would be correct."

"_Lucky Star_,please hold."

The comm clicked at the Imperial officer cut the connection. Barriss glanced at Padmé while they waited for a response. Padmé bit her lower lip.

"_Lucky Star_, please prepare to be boarded."

"What?" Barriss exclaimed into the comm.

"Nothing to worry about, _Lucky Star. _Standard Imperial procedure. We've been having lots of unusual traffic in regards to the Jedi rebellion in this area. You've nothing to worry about."

The commander shut off the communications link.

Barriss swore. "I've never heard of anyone not having to worry when they got boarded by Imperials. This is about to get nasty."

Padmé gulped. At that second, she ran back to her daughter, making sure she was still asleep. Seeing that she was, Padmé closed the lid to the trunk carefully, making sure that the child would be safe inside. Done, she went back up to the cockpit when the deck jolted out from under her.

"What are you doing?" she shouted to Barriss.

"I'm trying to get us out of here! You might want to strap yourself in!"

Padmé dropped herself in the copilot's chair. As quickly as she could, she secured the crash webbing around her. Outside, roaring towards them, was a guard of the now-familiar TIE fighters with their central cockpits and parrallel wings.

"They've got a tractor beam on us! We're dead in the water now."

Padmé muttered something that may have been a curse.

"It's just getting good," Barriss sarcastically replied. "Save your words."

With that, she got out of her seat.

"Where are you going?"

"Someone's got to stop that boarding party from getting on this ship. You coming?"

Seeing that she had no choice, Padmé went after her. She found Barriss standing by the entrance to the ship, her lightsaber in hand and at the ready. The Jedi tossed her a blaster pistol and Padmé caught it.

"Are you nuts?" Padmé hissed. "You're going to fight off the whole lot of them?"

"The times have all made us do things differently," was the reply. It made Padmé stop for a second.

_How true. _A year ago, Padmé would never have dreamed of trying to fend off an entire Imperial boarding party, plus whatever else the Empire had to throw at them. She never even dreamed there would be an Empire in the first place.

_The times certainly have changed. And they've changed us._

She thought about her relationship with Anakin. Two years ago, she never would have dreamed that would happen.

Three years ago she never would have dreamed that her family would be assassinated.

And here she was, a fugitive with an illegitimate child – _two_ illegitimate children, counting the other the Jedi whisked away – trying to fight alongside a Jedi she just barely met.

Times were crazy.

Barriss ignited her lightsaber with a _snap-hiss_, breaking Padmé's concentration.

"Uh, are you so sure that using that thing is a good idea? They'll definitely know you're a Jedi." Padmé did not have to imply what that would mean for them.

"I'm open for suggestions if you have a better idea. You have the only blaster on board, remember?"

Padmé looked down at the small pistol in her hands. Barriss was right; she was much more accustomed to using a blaster than the Jedi. Not to mention, trying to watch Padmé wield a lightsaber and look competent at it would be a comical spectacle.

"Besides, at this point…" the Jedi trailed off. A distant look took over her eyes. She shrugged and turned her attention back to the present. "They're almost here."

Padmé nodded and aimed the blaster at where the Imperials would come through.

Perhaps they made the right choice in making a stand against the Empire, regardless of how futile it was. Perhaps they were completely insane, driven to their wit's end by the Clone Wars and the tyranny that replaced the Republic. Perhaps they were just ready to give up after having been on the run for so long. Whatever it was, the two women were ready to face whatever fate had in store for them.

Their one mistake, however, was not noticing the other ship that came out of hyperspace just behind them. Hailing it would have saved them all the trouble of having to deal with the Imperials.

But Padmé did not think about any of the what-ifs, for suddenly the seal on the ship's door was broken – Barriss' lightsaber hummed – someone shouted "Jedi!" –

Blaster fire filled the air. Through the smoke created by badly aimed shots hitting the interior of the ship, Padmé could barely make out the shapes of the Imperials in their white body armor. Time seemed to slow down for her. The sound of Barriss' lightsaber hummed faintly in the background. Imperials were shouting. Barriss was yelling. Even her cries were added into the melee.

Before her eyes, she saw not the ship, but the fields of Naboo. The rebels were yelling; her family was huddled close around her. Blaster fire and screams were all she could make out.

A bolt hit her.

Then another.

She cried out in pain, slumping to the ground. The humming of the lightsaber grew even fainter, and after a few minutes Padmé could not hear it anymore. Imperial boots sounded on the deck, the only thing she could clearly hear.

A new voice was yelling – Bail Organa. The sound of his voice booming through the ship brought her closer to consciousness.

The soft green plains of Naboo were replaced by the cold reality of the ship. Bail Organa was kneeling next to her, in the background she could hear her daughter crying. Just before she passed into unconsciousness, she muttered her daughter's name…trying to soothe the child's fear…

Everything went black.

* * *

"Padmé!" Anakin screamed. She was in great danger – he had to go help her –

"Where is she?" he demanded of Obi-Wan. "Where is she?"

"I told you. She's safe. We have her in hiding."

"You're lying!"

_How he can stand there and lie to me, _he thought to himself.

_I told you so,_ the dark one replied. _He's always been lying to you. All the Jedi have. _

"You've always lied to me!" he accused, fury in his voice.

"Anakin, listen to yourself! Do you really believe what you're saying?"

"I don't believe what you're saying! I should have known you were lying to me all along! I should have known you never wanted to train me, I was just an annoyance to you!"

The words hung bitterly in the air. Obi-Wan was visibly taken aback, a verbal turbohammer having just slammed him in the chest. He took a step away from Anakin.

Dread for Padmé flooded Anakin. He could feel the danger around her growing. He had to save her. Obi-Wan was keeping him here, delaying him.

_He wants to take her away from you_.

The dark one did not understand the love Anakin had for Padmé, but it understood that the easiest way to take over was to make Anakin fear for her.

But it didn't have to make Anakin fear losing her anymore.

Anakin screamed.

He sank to his knees. An anguished wail escaped his lungs and echoed off the hardened lava. Without realizing what he was doing he pulled his hood over his head in a futile attempt to make the universe disappear. Nothing could make it go away – he was connected to it through the Force.

Padmé was his strongest link to the galaxy, to the Force. And with her death the galaxy burned as a black desert devoid of all emotion.

Except pain.

Reaching out, through the darkness, he tried one more time to sense her presence. He needed her more than anything at this moment.

She was gone.

He could not even feel the child anymore.

Another howl pierced the air and Anakin inhaled sharply. Choking back a sob, Anakin froze as memories flooded his vision. Leaving his mother. The elation at going to find her. Dinner with Obi-Wan at his favorite diner.

Falling in love with Padmé.

And now all he had was the pain of losing her. Anakin locked onto the pain, understanding one thing. This was the fault of the Jedi. Slowly he turned his head to look at Obi-Wan.

He and the darkness were one.

They always had been.

Slowly Anakin stood up. With his eyes on Obi-Wan his head slowly tilted up, and his hand hovered near his lightsaber.

_The Jedi killed her. _

_They never wanted me to be happy – they lied to me._

_They were always against me.

* * *

_

Obi-Wan froze in place as he watched his former apprentice sink to the ground.

Padmé's death rang out through the Force.

Even he had to choke back tears, having gotten to know her well and having seen her through so much. Watching Anakin, he willed himself to go comfort the younger man but his body did not obey. He tried to say something. Nothing came out. There were no words to come out.

Anakin's cries slowly subsided. For a second he merely remained silent on the ground. Then he started to get up.

Eyeing him, Obi-Wan knew something had changed. The Anakin he knew was gone. For the first time, Obi-Wan felt truly afraid. His hand went to his side instinctively, waiting to draw his lightsaber. Keeping control over himself, he struggled to not draw the weapon.

He took one last look at Anakin. Something imperceptible had changed in the blue eyes. It was not merely the hatred, shutting Obi-Wan out, but something ringing the edges of the irises. The sight of it made Obi-Wan doubt everything he had been taught as a Jedi and everything he taught to Anakin. He was given no more time to reflect on the matter.

With a howl, Anakin attacked.

To be conitnued...


	17. Chapter 17

17

The lightsabers clashed together, hissing and popping. The blue beams were identical. The handles were slightly different. Their wielders were completely opposite.

Both fought for what they believed in.

And neither of them knew how it got to this point.

Anakin drove Obi-Wan back, playing the strengths of his Form V style against the weaknesses of Obi-Wan's Form III. Channeling his anger he bore down on his former master with raw strength. Anger gave him power. Anger _was_ power. He ducked down, intending to cut the Master's legs out from under him.

At the last second, Obi-Wan anticipated the move and blocked Anakin's blade. Anakin darted to the side and took a step back. He paused for a second.

Carefully, Obi-Wan eyed Anakin, giving his lightsaber a twirl with a flick of his wrist. Once more he saw the Knight's intent before he acted. He stepped back.

At the same time, Anakin took a step backwards. He then hurled himself forward in a spin. He whirled around, a complete turn, and swung at Obi-Wan. The Master blocked him. Obi-Wan moved to make an attack. Deftly Anakin dodged it, stepping to the side.

The lightsabers continued to flash as the two Jedi performed a complicated dance of swings, slashes, cuts, and parries. Defensive, Obi-Wan kept the twin blue blade from contacting his body. There was still time to bring Anakin back.

Obi-Wan did not care about anything else in the galaxy. His brother was here – right here before him – and despite the flashing lightsabers he would not accept losing Anakin.

Anakin was young. Raw power corrupted the young. Obi-Wan understood this; it was his job to keep it from ruining Anakin. Determined to succeede, he Force leaped over Anakin.

In mid-air, he brought his saber down to prevent Anakin from splitting him in half. Through the Force, he felt the young Jedi's confusion.

Obi-Wan _never_ jumped. He always fought straight on.

As he landed Anakin whirled around to face him. A bitter scowl rested on his face, with his lips pursed tight. He paused, a millisecond of hesitation, figuring out how to best attack now. Perhaps the two Jedi did not know everything about each other.

_Obviously not_, Obi-Wan thought wryly. _If we did_…

_We would not be here_. It was not an arguable point.

Frustrated that he had been bested, Obi-Wan could feel each of Anakin's emotions through the Force, Anakin sent a large rock hurtling at Obi-Wan's chest. Obi-Wan easily dropped and rolled away from the incoming missile.

Anakin loved to throw things when irritated in a duel. At least here the solid lava restricted his opprotunities. Standing again, Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin.

The grip on his lightsaber was so tight that his knuckles were white. His boots fell heavily on the solidified lava. His face showed nothing – except for his eyes. The warm blue eyes were gone. The redness made Obi-Wan want to scratch his eyes to relive the burning itch that Anakin must be enduring. But now that growing change that scared Obi-Wan the most: yellow, a bright and deadly color.

Eyes of a Sith.

Obi-Wan was loosing. Every second drew Anakin farther away, deeper into the dark side. Not even Mace Windu had been able to turn Anakin away from the anger. Yoda probably could not do it. For attempting this, Obi-Wan would be declared officially insane by any other Jedi.

But he kept fighting.

And found the exact thing he fought for: hesitation.

Anakin was not completely gone. Focusing hard enough, Obi-Wan could feel ghostly traces of him in the Force. In the duel he could see it in swings and cuts that went awry, attacks that were sloppy.

Thinking that allowing Anakin to burn himself out was the best way to win him back, Obi-Wan maintained his defensive stance. That was the problem with the dark side – Anakin had to _stay_ angry to draw its power, and the appearance of winning the duel could cool his temper.

So Obi-Wan let Anakin direct the battle. The young man's stamina showed no signs of dying. Lifting his hands up so his saber hilt was over his head, he brought the weapon down so hard that Obi-Wan's wrists and elbows screamed in protest at the shock of impact.

The hissing blue blades strained against each other. Neither one gave way. Both of their weilders drew on the Force to shove the other away.

Energy building between them, the Force _crackled_. The power massed between him and Anakin was about to break loose. It exploded – a shockwave knocked both Jedi to the ground. The two spacecraft shuddered on their landing struts.

Getting up, Anakin shook his saber hand. The blue blade bounced then went steady as Anakin's grip tightened. Taking a couple steps at full tilt, he launched himself into the air and flipped so that when he landed he would be right on Obi-Wan's chest.

Rolling over, Obi-Wan clambered to his feet, ready to face Anakin. Anakin landed and swung wildly, hoping to hit Obi-Wan anywhere.

A vacuum began to form in the Force. Obi-Wan found it increasingly harder to find the light side that he served. Reaching out he found only the blackness that Anakin radiated. Obi-Wan knew this was because his former apprentice was becoming angrier that the duel was not ending.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He pushed out beyond the thick darkness formed by Anakin. Instantly he was bathed in the brightness of the light – and pulled as much of it as possible towards him. Anakin drove Obi-Wan back, herding him close to his starfighter.

Knowing what Anakin planned to do, Obi-Wan jumped. Heavily he landed on the other side of the starfighter. He stopped, taking the brief lapse to catch his breath. Barely too short, he tried to glance over the top of the fighter. Glancing below it, he could see Anakin standing opposite him.

_That's odd; usually he's never still, _Obi-Wan thought to himself. He pondered this for another second –

A lightsaber almost came down on top of his head.

"Blazes!" he exclaimed after hopping out of the way and deflecting Anakin's lightsaber away.

A solid _thud_ on the other side of the ship caught his attention. Turning around, he could see Anakin's head – he was standing on the wing of the fighter. Anakin reached his right hand out, and his lightsaber flew to it. Obi-Wan brought his saber over his head. It connected with Anakin's as he flipped off the fighter and back to the ground. Anakin bore down on Obi-Wan, eyes glowering.

"At least your aim is improving." The words came out of Obi-Wan's mouth from reflex. It was a comment that at any other time he would have said intentionally and one that Anakin would have laughed at.

Except that a grinding moan came from Anakin's chest. His eyes closed and he swung at Obi-Wan. "Don't try to bring things back to the way they were."

"Things only have only gone this way because of your actions. You brought yourself to this point. And you can bring yourself back from it."

Anakin shook his head. "I don't want that life anymore. I have nothing left from it. Could you live like that, a half life, an empty one?"

Those words made Obi-Wan stop for a second. They were so calculated. And when he really thought about it, they almost made sense.

Almost.

"I'm a Jedi. As long as I live the life of a Jedi and serve the Force, I have nothing else to want," he finally answered, finding his resolve in the Force. He would not let himself be bested by Anakin's words, the way Anakin had been by Palpatine's. "You're a Jedi too. I know that at one time that was how you wanted to live. Except that you could not let go of the your attachments the way a Jedi should!"

"You failed to teach me _that_ lesson," Anakin growled.

"Only because you failed to learn it!"

"Don't you turn this around on me! It's your fault, Obi-Wan. You failed!"

Anakin took a swing at him, a haphazard and sloppy one to merely prove his point. Obi-Wan lazily deflected it, taking that single instant to understand that on a certain level Anakin spoke words of truth.

His apprentice had turned into the ultimate Jedi failure.

"You're right Anakin. I never intended for you to turn like this. I have failed you!"

Obi-Wan hoped those words would placate Anakin enough that this insane duel could end. It only infuriated him more. Anakin took a deep breath and the Jedi Master felt the dark power increase. He defended himself against a mad storm of fury moving so fast it was beyond comprehension. Just when he expected to have a lightsaber swing at him to behead him, a foot came out of _nowhere_ and knocked him to the ground.

Having come to realize the full extent of their flaws, both the Jedi stood at a turning point. When they thought about it, in the back of their minds where everything passed in slow motion, they didn't even understand how it came to this. But now one thing was certain.

It was more than a lightsaber duel.

It was physical.

It was personal.

* * *

Anakin watched Obi-Wan get back up to his feet. He almost felt sorry for Obi-Wan, for what he had done to his former master. His eyes closed as he gave his head a shake.

Opening them he saw clearly. He knew he could not kill Obi-Wan.

"Obi-Wan…" he began with a weak gasp. He was not able to finish for Obi-Wan took advantage of his pause and attacked.

_Help me, _Anakin finished in his mind just as Obi-Wan feinted to the left and swung back to take off Anakin's right hand.

Obi-Wan never attacked.

Tapping the new reserve of anger, Anakin forgot any feelings of empathy he might have had for his master and wanted nothing of his help. The only goal, no matter how Obi-Wan talked of turning Anakin back, was to kill him. There was no doubt. Obi-Wan had given up on him completely.

Just like everyone else.

Furious, Anakin stumbled to his left, making Obi-Wan's saber swing wide. He took enough time to regain his balance and threw all he had at Obi-Wan.

Once again they dueled faster than any two Jedi before them. The lightsabers flashed and danced. Moving so fast, it was impossible to tell which saber belonged to which Jedi.

Anakin let his anger grow out of control, using it to tap into the Force.

Love was nothing compared to anger. The light side was nothing compared to the dark.

He glared at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan was a fool if he thought he could have turned Anakin away from the dark. At a time, years ago, it might have been possible to save him.

But now he was a different person.

_Obi-Wan turned me into this. It's because of him that I'm here._

Just a few months ago, the man had been his brother. Now he hated him more than any other being in the galaxy.

Anakin sank into the Force, controlling it with his every thought. Obi-Wan's intentions glared through the Force, enabling him to defeat every attack.

Swinging behind him with his lightsaber, Anakin took a step back. Steadily watching him, Obi-Wan did the same with his saber as he moved closer to Anakin. They turned to face either other.

At the same time both sabers swung forward. Obi-Wan swung up from the ground and Anakin brought his saber down. At the last second, Anakin arced up and Obi-Wan's danced downwards.

Both lightsabers made an incredible _whooshing _sound, flashing around each other in a complicated figure eight without coming into contact. Bringing their weapons out of the dance, both Jedi paused. Anakin realized they were so connected to each other that they were doing the same moves at the same time.

Disgusted, he sought some other way to gain an advantage over Obi-Wan. His right hand shook. The lightsaber in its grasp quivered. He tossed the weapon to his other hand. Lifting his right hand he reached out to the Force. With it he found Obi-Wan's throat.

And squeezed.

Anakin swallowed heavily, the satisfaction of feeling Obi-Wan's lungs be denied air giving him a clear focus. Obi-Wan's hands flew to his throat and his lighstaber switched off as it fell to the ground.

It would be over in just a few more seconds.

Obi-Wan's eyes rolled back into his head. He clawed at the invisible force holding his throat closed. Anakin smiled curiously. Deny a Jedi master air and he reacts with the same panic that any other lifeform would have. One side of Anakin's mouth turned up more and his fingertips twitched. The final push had been delivered. Obi-Wan's life had come to an end.

_Snap-hiss_.

A burst of power broke Anakin's hold on his former master. A blue blade of plasma hurtled towards him. Anakin dropped to the ground. He rolled away from the attack. At the same time Obi-Wan fell to his knees, gasping for air. After a few deep breaths he brought his lighstaber back to him.

Anakin had just enough time to think, _He never was much for saber throwing either, _before Obi-Wan jumped.

_Again_.

Grinding his teeth, Anakin got off the ground. He deflected the blow Obi-Wan aimed at him as he landed. His blood pounded, blocking out all other sound.

Dart. Kick. Swing.

The moves passed through Anakin's subconscious. Once more he found himself completely immersed in the duel. He was unable to focus on anything other than what his next move with his lightsaber would be.

Stab. Punch. Jump.

Sweat poured from his pores, soaking him. His eyes stung from the salty fluid dripping into them. Glancing at Obi-Wan, he could see the other Jedi was faring no better.

His eyes would not stop _stinging –_

All it took was the slightest pause for Anakin to brush his forehead with his upper arm. In that second, Obi-Wan saw his chance and took it. Anakin's danger sense flared and he moved his lightsaber to block Obi-Wan.

His eyes – he couldn't _see_ – the blue blades, which one was his –

Blindly he swung –

Pain erupted in his right arm. He had no more control over his lightsaber. Dimly he heard it clatter away, and he reeled from the shock. Struggling to maintain his balance, he felt unstable as if there were no footing behind him.

His concentration broken, Anakin glanced over his shoulder. A nasty drop, on the edge of which he was teetering, met his eyes. At the bottom, the ground sloped into the flowing lava.

In a last effort he called the Force to steady him, but the Force can stop the nature of gravity only so much. With a final look of hatred at Obi-Wan he fell backwards. Anakin struggled to get some hold on the ground before he met the lava. The ground was too slick, too hot for him to grasp. The heat, the burning heat flared up to claim him.

The Prophecy was wrong.

He was not the Chosen One. Only one prophecy would come true here today – he would be incased in fire, just like that beautiful ship that he created on Zonoma Sekot so many years ago.

All those years he spent next to Obi-Wan. The vow he made to always care for his mentor, his teacher, his best friend. It wasn't Padmé he needed by his side, it was _Obi-Wan_. His brother.

Now his worst enemy.

He had betrayed him. He had betrayed all the Jedi, all the ones he killed. Through it all he told himself he was doing it to find Padmé, the dark one tricked him into believing it.

No.

He tricked himself.

_He and the dark were one. _

"Help…" he croaked, trying to look up to where he knew Obi-Wan stood. "Please…I'm your…"

Obi-Wan's words barely reached his ears, despite the fact that the Jedi Master was yelling. Pain wrenched his voice.

"I don't know you anymore. You were once my brother – but now you've killed him too."

The final words. The final betrayal.

Anakin struggled, trying in vain to bring himself away from the scalding lava. He went slack and his face pressed against the burning hot rock. Sinking into it, he no longer felt the burning heat dancing over his body. All he could see was the red of the lava, the red of the flames, the red of his anger; it made no difference, they were all the same.

He came to know the true identity of himself. He was born of the flames. Understanding in that instant how all his mistakes lead him to this point, knowing he had been wrong about so many things, he struggled to take one final look at the last person who tried to save him.

Obi-Wan left him there to die.

Completely alone, Anakin Skywalker faded into the growing blackness and let go for the final time.

To be continued...


	18. Chapter 18

Epilogue

The piercing suns of Tatooine beat down on the simple hut. Inside, Obi-Wan Kenobi sat waiting for the day to cool off as the suns set. Times like this had him wishing he had installed a cooling unit into the structure, but he never quite got around to it.

Moving to another part of the small hut, where it was just slightly cooler, he shed his brown cloak. To this day, he still wore the traditional robes of a Jedi, preferring them to regular clothes.

Out here, in the Jundland Wastes, no one would pay attention. No one this far out in the galaxy would recognize the clothing of a Jedi Knight of the Republic. And those that did paid Obi-Wan no mind. To them he was Ben Kenobi, a crazy old hermit living out his last days in the Tatooine wastelands.

Nothing special there.

As he moved, Obi-Wan's eye caught an old locked case. For a second he was tempted to open it and look at the contents. But, as always, he resisted the temptation with a shake of his head. Looking at what lay inside was still painful.

All these years later, Obi-Wan did not quite remember how he pulled himself away from Anakin. The duel took something out of Obi-Wan. It made him question everything he believed about being a Jedi. Every time he thought about that last day, the heartbreak came back as fresh as it had been that first time. He felt the pain of his former Padawan almost as if it were his own.

And he had left him there to die.

Had wanted him to die.

Obi-Wan shut his eyes, willing the memory to leave. The past. It had to be let go.

Now, years later, a new terror dominated the galaxy, second only to Emperor Palpatine. The appearance of his black mask was domineering enough to strike deadly fear into the hearts of the strongest men. The name was enough to make Imperials and Rebels quiver like sniveling children.

No one dared stand up to Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan knew, though, that out among the stars the small Rebel Alliance was devising plans to bring down the Empire. Out there was the one person who could end the tyrannical rule of Vader and his master, the Emperor. The thought that he might gain some salvation, for his actions on Mustafar especially, by helping this small rebellion kept him from despair. With a deep breath, he settled back in his seat.

Obi-Wan was a Jedi – one of the last.

He could wait as long as necessary for the call to come.

The End.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who read this story, and even more thanks to those of you who left comments. I appreciated all of them:-) 


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